Kagome Uzumaki
by FantasyWriter345
Summary: Inuyasha has killed Kagome in order for Kikyo's soul to be whole again. Fortunately, Kagome is reborn into the world of shinobi: Konoha. She is the nine-tails jinchūriki and somehow, she's able to change those around her. Follow the adventures of Kagome Uzumaki. Both animes/mangas belong to their rightful owners.
1. Unexpected Results

Chapter 1: Unexpected Results

Kagome didn't expect this to happen. She didn't expect to die. That was something she never would have thought would happen to her. She wished that the jewel would disappear forever. But what she didn't expect that Inuyasha would kill her. She suspected that Kikyo must have ordered Inuyasha to kill her in order to gain the rest of her soul. It was typical, Inuyasha no longer loved her. She was just his jewel shard detector. His heart belonged to Kikyo, no one else.

That was the truth.

The last thing she remembered was Inuyasha with his bloody claws and Kikyo by his side who were standing over her dead body. Strange thing was that his eyes stayed golden when he killed her. Usually when he goes on a killing spree, his eyes would turn red. But they didn't. He was fully prepared to kill her.

Flashback Starts:

" _Kagome." Inuyasha said, walking over to her._

" _Hai?" Kagome asked, looking over her shoulder. She was helping Kaede pick some herbs with Rin. It had been three weeks since they defeated Naraku and wished the shikon jewel to disappear. The well also closed as well. Kagome became Kaede's apprentice and was learning alongside with Rin._

" _Can I talk to you for a moment?" Inuyasha asked._

" _Sure." Kagome said as she stood up and followed Inuyasha into the forest. She noticed that they were at a great distance away from the village. She couldn't help but be suspicious of Inuyasha._

" _Inuyasha, what is it that yo-" Kagome was interrupted when she felt an increasing pain in her chest. She looked down and saw Inuyasha's fist impaled in her heart. She looked back up and he was smirking at her._

" _W-Why? Why Inuyasha? Why?" Kagome asked as blood leaked from her pierced heart._

" _It's the only way Kikyo will be fully alive." Inuyasha said, "Besides, you're nothing but a copy of Kikyo."_

 _Kagome's sapphire blue eyes widened at Inuyasha's words. She couldn't believe that Inuyasha would say those exact words that Kikyo had said to her once. Her comrade had betrayed her in the worst way. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as blood leaked from her lips. She felt his fist retract from her wounded heart and sank down to her knees. Then she fell on her side. She saw Kikyo walking over to Inuyasha. She noticed that Kikyo was smirking as she watched Kagome coughed up blood._

" _You're truly pathetic, Kagome. To think that you were easily defeated by one of your comrades. You will never match up to me. I'm twice as strong as you'll ever be." Kikyo said, smirking._

 _Kagome felt the warmth of her body leaving her slowly. She could no longer hear the words that were spoken from Kikyo's or Inuyasha's lips. Her eyes were starting to close. Then she was enclosed in darkness._

Flashback Ends

"Kagome." A feminine voice said. Kagome looked up and saw a familiar figure walking towards her. The figure was a woman dressed in miko garments who had a armor chest plate and shoulder pads with a sword tucked near her left hip.

"Midoriko-sama." Kagome said softly. Midoriko had always been with her throughout her journey in the feudal era. She was there when she needed advice on her training. Midoriko was a teacher to her during those times.

"What am I doing here? Is this the afterlife?" Kagome asked, looking all around her. It was the only explanation she could come up with. Afterall, Inuyasha killed her. Where else was her soul going to go?

"Not quite. Your soul is in limbo right now." Midoriko said.

"Really? Why?" Kagome asked, confused. So she isn't dead?

"Kikyo is no longer alive. When your soul entered her body, she instantly died. The kami had decided that she did not deserve to live after all of the misdeeds she has done." Midoriko said.

"I see." Kagome said, staring at the ground. She didn't expect that Kikyo would die as soon as she did. But she had to agree with the kami. Afterall the misdeeds she had done in her revived state, she can no longer remain on the living plane of existance.

"Kagome." Midoriko said.

"Hai?" Kagome asked, looking up at Midoriko.

"The kami would like to send you to another world." Midoriko said.

"Huh?" Kagome asked.

"In that world, there are warriors known as shinobi." Midoriko said.

"Shinobi?" Kagome asked, her brow arched.

"Ninja." Midoriko said.

"I see." Kagome said, "But why do you wish to send me there?"

"They are asking you to become a jinchūriki." Midoriko said.

"A what?" Kagome asked.

"A jinchūriki. They are human vessels that house a tailed beast inside of them." Midoriko said.

"That's the reason why they want to send me there?" Kagome asked, her brow arched. There was something else that Midoriko was not telling her.

"Jinchūriki are feared and hated within each village they reside in. The villagers often blame them for the death of their loved ones that are killed by a certain tailed beast. I know that you don't want that sort of treatment-" Midoriko said before she was interrupted by Kagome.

"I'll do it, Midoriko-sama." Kagome said. Midoriko looked at Kagome with widened eyes.

"I became the unknown guardian of the Shikon no Tama when I turned fifteen. I traveled all over Japan defeating evil demons while gathering the jewel shards. Along the way, I was able to befriend a lot of different demons and people who helped me on my journey." Kagome said.

"Kagome." Midoriko said, brown eyes shaking.

"Who knows, it might turn out to be another adventure for me. Maybe I'll find others who will accept me as an jinchūriki." Kagome said with a closed eye smile.

"Kagome, are you sure? You'll be hated and feared throughout your whole life." Midoriko said, worriedly. Even though the kami wanted to send Kagome to another world to help protect it, Midoriko still felt uneasy of letting her go to that world.

"I'm a miko and a warrior, Midoriko-sama." Kagome said, "I won't let hatred and fear take control over my life. I know that people will accept me for who I am."

"Are you absolutely sure, Kagome?" Midoriko asked.

"Hai, I will follow the new path that the kami has made for me. But maybe..." Kagome said, "it might change along the way."

"Perhaps you're right, Kagome-chan." Midoriko said, smiling softly at the young miko before her. The girl had changed a lot throughout her whole journey in the feudal era. She just wished that she could have known the girl a little longer.

"Well then, you will be reborn in this new world. That way, you'll easy learn everything." Midoriko said.

"That would make sense." Kagome said, placing her finger on her chin while looking up.

"I hope that you'll be able to tame the tailed beast inside of you, Kagome." Midoriko said.

"Don't worry, Midoriko-sama. If I was able to defeat an evil hanyō, I can protect a tailed beast from anyone who might use him or her for their own game." Kagome said.

"Alright then, are you ready, Kagome?" Midoriko asked.

"Hai." Kagome said as she nodded. Then a silvery blue light surround Kagome.

"I wish you luck, Kagome." Midoriko said with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Midoriko-sama." Kagome said before the light fully enveloped her.

* * *

 _Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love._

\- John le Carre


	2. A Jinchūriki's Childhood

Chapter 2: A Jinchūriki's Childhood

"It's her." A woman said in a bitter tone.

"Who?" Another woman asked.

"That demon child." The first woman said as she narrowed her eyes at a four year old girl who was sitting on a park bench reading a book. The girl had short yellow blonde hair, blue sapphire eyes, and whisker marks on both sides of her cheeks.

"Why does the Hokage keep her alive? She's not wanted here." Another woman said, bitterly.

* * *

Kagome could easily hear what the village women were saying about her. It was a daily occurrence. The reason why they call her a 'demon child' was because she's the vessel of the nine-tailed kitsune inside of her. The people think that she doesn't know about it, but she already knew. She figured it out when she heard one of the villagers talk at a pub. There was nothing that she could do about it. She couldn't change the past. Funny enough, she was able to change the feudal era. But this wasn't the feudal era.

Kagome had trained every day and studied on every book or scroll about shinobi affairs. She was intelligent for her age. She had top grades in the class and was quite skilled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. She was tied with Sasuke Uchiha. You could say that she was his rival and the only girl who wasn't fawning over him. Unfortunately, no one knew about how intelligent she really was. She was even able to perform the Hiraishin jutsu, which belonged to her father, Minato Namikaze who was known as the Yondaime Hokage. She knew that he had died the day she was born, sealing the nine tailed kitsune inside of her. She just wished that she had known her parents.

How she got the jutsu was because she found it while exploring in the woods after she was being chased by the civilian boys. After she had finally lost them, she sensed chakra nearby. The funny thing about it was that it nearly felt similar to hers but a little bit different as well. Then she came to a beautiful oak tree and sensed the chakra coming from the base of the tree. So she dug and came across a small flat chest with an Uzumaki symbol engraved on it. She opened the box and found a three pronged kunai with a special seal on it. She took the kunai home and researched it. She soon discovered that it was the Hiraishin jutsu, which was the Yondaime Hokage's signature jutsu.

The days at the ninja academy are quite interesting. She knew that some of the kids would steal her lunch, so she decided to play a prank on them every time they took her lunch. She didn't do anything when they took her lunch the first two times. But the second time, she put lax in all of her lunch. When the boys ate everything, they got constipation for the rest of the afternoon. The third time, she put spices in her lunch. When Sasuke's fan girls ate it, they screamed for water and it took hours until they were able to gain their taste buds back. As they always say: revenge can be so sweet.

When the civilian kids began to beat her up, those were her worst days. When she was only three years old, they beat her up so bad that she had to go to the hospital. She was glad that Iruka-sensei had found her. She knew that she couldn't fight against civilians. So she did the next best thing: pranked them. One time, she threw balls that had pollen in them. A swarm of bees chased them throughout the village until they could no longer run. They had a lot of bee stings on their bodies. As they always say: paybacks are a b****. She could never stop laughing after that.

But there were some people who didn't mind her of being a jinchūriki. There was Iruka-sensei at the ninja academy. He was always concerned about her not having any friends. He was like a mother-hen, which the other shinobi made fun of him because of that trait. But she was able to befriend Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother of the prodigy, Itachi Uchiha. Let's just say many of the females of the class despised her for their friendship. She also befriended Ryouta Hyuuga from the Hyuuga family's main branch. The two males were able to get along to some extend, only when Kagome was around. They were there for each other during hard times. A few days after the Uchiha massacre, they quickly went after Sasuke when they saw him run towards the Uchiha district. They soon found him in the room where his parents were murdered. Kagome and Ryouta wrapped their arms around Sasuke as he cried his eyes out. Also when Ryouta's uncle was killed as well. Ryouta took his death hard. He became withdrawn for awhile. Kagome was surprised that he lived in the apartment next to hers two weeks later. She had found out that he decided to leave the main branch for awhile. Kagome figured that he hated his father for his cold treatment of him.

There is another adult who cared for Kagome. Her name was Mao and she was a nurse worked at the Konoha hospital. She would always help Kagome heal her worst wounds. She started opening up to Kagome when Iruka brought her in her beat up form. Mao must have pitied her when she saw her all beat up. To repay her kindness, Kagome would often tell her of medicines that can be used for all of the sick patients.

The owner and his daughter at Ichiraku's ramen shop. She went to that ramen shop whenever she wasn't in the mood to cook or wanted to have a nice bowl of ramen. They would always encourage her when she felt down and they would always listen to her about the pranks she pulled on the students. Ichiraku was like an uncle to her who makes great ramen to cheer her up when things go downhill. His daughter was like an older sister to her as well.

Kagome's landlord, Yasuo. He was not very kind to her the first day they met. There was this one time when she caught a cold and her mind was too fuzzy so she couldn't move. If Yasuo hadn't decide to check on her, she would have died. He kindly took care of her as she recovered from her cold. Somehow, he opened up to her after that.

Minori at the grocery shop is another person who cared for her. Hardly anyone visits her store for anything since an even bigger store opened up one street down from hers. Kagome became her first frequent customer. She helped provide Kagome with food and clothing and anything she might need. To return her kindness, she would invite Minori over for dinner on some nights and would help her set up the store before leaving anywhere.

The Nara family and the Inuzuka family. She first visited the Naras when Shikamaru skipped out and forgot his homework. When Shikamaru mentioned shogi, she had asked him if she could play. He told her that he just finished a game with his dad. Then she asked him if she could play against his dad and he let her. She managed to beat his father. He was surprised that she was able to beat him. He started to respect her. He would invite her over sometimes just to play a game. Kiba's family were surprised on how Akamaru wasn't afraid of her. Somehow he easily got attached to her the moment he saw her. Perhaps it was Kagome's fondness with canines that really got Akamaru to get attached to her. The Inuzuka family let her have one of the runts that escaped from the compound she had named him Aki, a faithful follower.

The Hokage was the one who cared about her the most. To her, he was like a grandfather. He would always ruffle her hair when he left to his Hokage duties after he came over for dinner at her apartment with Mao, Yasuo, Ryouta, Minori, and Iruka. She was his private medic when he needed her.

The stray cats and dogs of Konoha were friends as well. She would always feed them her left overs. In return they would always protect her from the civilian kids who tried to hurt her. Some almost attacked them as well. All they did was growl and walk closer to the kids until they ran. Then the dogs would chase the kids down the streets. Kagome also trained them to be her ninken and ninneko. She was also glad that Kirara was with her as well. Somehow, Midoriko knew that Kagome would be lonely in the shinobi world, so she must have sent Kirara to keep her company.

What no one knew was that she was able to tame the nine tails inside of her. At first it was hard for him to trust her. After all, he was still angry at her father for sealing him inside of her. But after a few encounters, they were able to get along to some extend. She would often talk to him about the pranks she pulled on the academy students and strangely enough, he chuckled at it. She would also ask him for advice on some things. To her point of view, Kyuubi was like a father to her.

So her childhood wasn't so rough like she thought it would be. Although there are some who despised her for the nine tailed kitsune inside of her. So she ignore them, which irritated them. She knew that most just wanted to see her in pain for their own enjoyment. It was like they were taking their own frustrations on her. She knew that beating her up won't bring their loved ones back. But she knew that someday, everyone in the village will accept her for who she is.

* * *

 _Your emotional life is not written in cement during childhood. You write each chapter as you go along._

\- Harry Stack Sullivan


	3. Revealed Hatred

Chapter 3: Revealed Hatred

Today was the Graduation test. The test that will determine if you have what it takes to be a ninja. It was an important day for everyone in the ninja academy. Including Kagome. But she had a gutsy feeling that something bad was going to happen today. She didn't know what it might be though. She'll have to keep her guard up.

"Next: Kagome Uzumaki." Iruka said. Kagome walked through the classroom doors and stood in front of Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei. They sat behind a table that had rows of the Konoha hitai-ates sitting on it. She didn't like Mizuki-sensei at all. His soul was always tainted. She knew that he hated her ever since she first came to the academy even though he tried to hide it with those 'innocent' smiles. But his aura said it all. She knew it was just a matter of time until he would show his true intents towards her.

"Kagome-chan, you must make a doppelganger." Iruka said.

"Hai." Kagome said, nodded. She performed the hand signs and two smiling doppelgangers on both sides of her.

"Well done, Kagome-chan." Iruka said, smiling.

"Wait a minute!" Mizuki said as he stood up.

"What is Mizuki-san?" Iruka asked.

"She made a mistake with her doppelgänger!" Mizuki said.

"I don't see any mistakes, Mizuki-san." Iruka said, looking at her doppelgängers.

"The one on her right! Her right arm is longer than her left." Mizuki said as he pointed at the doppelganger on her right.

"Oops." Kagome said when she looked at the doppelganger on her right.

"I believe that she has failed the exam, Iruka-san." Mizuki said. Iruka looked down at the hitai-ates. He wanted to give one to Kagome for all of her efforts...except that she failed in this effort. He wanted Kagome to become a great kunoichi. He knew that this would be a hard decision to make.

"It's okay, Iruka-sensei." Kagome said with a sad smile. Iruka looked back up at Kagome.

"But Kagome-chan…" Iruka began to say as he stood up.

"Probably half of the village doesn't want me to graduate anyway." Kagome said, "So it's okay, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka stared at Kagome with sad eyes. He didn't think that Kagome would make a simple mistake in making a doppelganger. She was always a hard worker and a studious student in class. He knew that Kagome would become a great kunoichi. But she was right, not many of the other shinobi didn't even want her to become a ninja at all. His fists tightened at the decision he had to make.

"Kagome Uzumaki, you...failed." Iruka said with a strain in his voice.

* * *

All the parents of the academy students stood outside with their sons and daughters. Congratulating them for their hard work, smiling at them, and hugging them. Kagome wished that she could have those kind of moments with her parents. Except that her parents were gone. Those moments don't happen with her. She stood outside of the academy where the small crowd of genins were while she was leaning against a tree while listening to the students who now became genin.

"I heard that she failed the exam." A woman said.

"It's a good thing, too. After all, she's the…" Another woman began to say.

"Quiet, we're not suppose to speak of it." Another woman said.

"How terrible would it be if she became a ninja?" Another woman sneered.

* * *

Kagome left the academy and went onto the roofs. She sat down on the edge of a roof while looking over Konoha. She wanted some time for herself. She knew that the parents there despised her for her existence. None of them wanted her to become a ninja. It was a known fact. It was because she was the vessel of the nine-tailed kitsune. To her state of mind, they couldn't get past their fears. She didn't know when they ever will.

* * *

What Kagome didn't know at the time was that Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Ryouta Hyuuga gazed at her with sad eyes. They all wanted Kagome to graduate with them. But it wasn't possible for her now. They wanted to go over and talk to her, but...they just didn't have the words to comfort her. When they saw her leave the grounds, they couldn't chase after her. They knew that she wanted to be left alone for the moment.

* * *

"Kagome-chan."

Kagome turned to her left and saw Mizuki-sensei standing at the edge of the roof. His eyes were closed as he gave a small smile and held his hand up.

"Mizuki-sensei." Kagome said.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get to graduate, Kagome-chan." Mizuki said as he sat down near her.

"Yeah, it was disappointing." Kagome said, looking down at the ground.

"But I believe that you'll become a great ninja though." Mizuki said.

"Thank you, Mizuki-sensei." Kagome said with a sad smile, "I know that Iruka-sensei must have felt torn for making that decision."

"Don't worry, he'll get over it soon." Mizuki said.

"You think so?" Kagome asked, turning towards Mizuki.

"Hai, I'm sure." Mizuki said with a closed eye smile.

"Well, I'll just have to wait next year." Kagome said.

"Actually, there is another way you can become a ninja, Kagome-chan." Mizuki said.

"Huh? Another way?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Hai." Mizuki said.

"What do I have to do?" Kagome asked.

"You have to get the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage Residence and learn a technique from it." Mizuki said.

"But isn't stealing from the Hokage Residence an act of treason, Mizuki-sensei?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to the side.

"No, no, no! It's only allowed during the test!" Mizuki said.

 _He looked like he was panicking there for a moment._ Kagome thought, her brow arched.

"Okay." Kagome said as she stood up, "I'll do it."

* * *

Hours Later:

All of the shinobi near the Hokage Tower received word that Kagome Namikaze had broken into the Hokage Residence and stole the Scroll of Seals. Iruka Umino, Tsume Inuzuka with her ninken Kuromaru, Asuma Sarutobi, and Shikaku Nara were running through the forest, looking for Kagome.

"I can't believe that she took the scroll!" Iruka said as they ran through the forest. He was having a hard time believing that one of his best students had stolen from the Hokage Residence!

"I believe that she has a reason for taking it, Iruka." Asuma said, running beside Iruka.

"What do you mean, Asuma-san?" Iruka asked, glancing at Asuma.

"I have a feeling that Kagome-chan didn't take the scroll for a selfish reason." Asuma said, looking ahead.

"You're sure, Asuma-san?" Iruka asked.

"Hai." Asuma said.

"I agreed with you, Asuma-san." Shikaku said.

"Tsume-sama!"

All the jounin stopped running in the middle of the trees and heard a male voice with a pitter patter of footsteps coming towards them. They heard the footsteps getting closer to their location. Then out of the bushes came a male dog. He had white fur with a large hazel colored spot on his back and hazel colored ears. He also had brown colored eyes.

"Aki-kun? What are you doing here?" Tsume asked.

"Lady Kagome is being set up." Aki said. Aki was one of Kagome's faithful ninken. He was a runt of a litter that escaped from Inuzuka compound. He was being cared for by Kagome when they found him. Seeing that Aki had shared a bond with Kagome, they let her have him and he had been following her ever since.

"What do you mean, Aki-kun?" Asuma asked.

"I followed Kagome after she left the school grounds. I wanted to talk to her, but I figured she needed to be alone. Then Mizuki showed up." Aki said.

"Mizuki-san?" Iruka asked. It felt suspicious to him that Mizuki would want to find Kagome. During the academy years, Mizuki mostly avoided Kagome. He had a feeling that Mizuki didn't like Kagome because of the nine tailed kitsune.

"Hai, I heard him saying that Kagome has to steal the Scroll of Seals and learn a technique from it in order to become a ninja." Aki said.

"What?! He told her to do that?!" Iruka exclaimed.

"Hai." Aki said, "Then I followed him after he had his chat with Lady Kagome about not getting caught when stealing the scroll. Then I heard him telling everyone she stole the scroll."

"So that means…" Shikaku began to say.

"Hai, Mizuki has set her up." Aki said.

"Are you sure, Aki-kun?" Tsume asked.

"I'm positive, Tsume-sama." Aki said.

"Then we better find Kagome-chan." Tsume said.

" **Hai!** " They said in unison. Then they started off once again.

* * *

Kagome stared up at the night sky while sitting on the ground. It was beautiful, but most of the clouds were covering the moon. She knew that Mizuki was setting her up with stealing the scroll, she knew the reason why. Luckily, she had a plan. Then she sensed six different auras coming her way. Soon enough, the six owners of the different auras appeared.

"Lady Kagome!" Aki said as he ran towards her.

"Aki-kun, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked as she stood up while he sat in front of her.

"Mizuki has told everyone that you stole the scroll…" Aki began to say until he saw a scroll beside her.

"Don't worry, this isn't the real scroll, Aki-kun." Kagome said, picking up the scroll.

"Wait, it isn't?" Aki asked, confused.

"It's a duplication." Kagome said as everyone stood in front of her.

"But if that isn't the Scroll of Seals, then where is the real one?" Tsume asked.

"Back at the Hokage Residence." Kagome said pointing within her thumb over her shoulder.

"So Mizuki has lied to all of us." Asuma said.

"Actually, I did break into the residence." Kagome said.

"HEH?!" Iruka exclaimed.

"Only to see what the Scroll of Seals looked like." Kagome said. They let out a sigh of relief. They were glad that Kagome didn't steal the _real_ scroll.

"So where's Mizuki?" Shikaku asked.

"He's on his way here now." Kagome said, "Everyone, I have a plan and I need your help. But I need to make it quick."

Everyone looked at Kagome and then at each other. They nodded.

"Okay, what's your plan, Kagome-chan?" Iruka asked.

"Okay, here's the plan…" Kagome said as she quickly told them her plan.

* * *

Mizuki quickly headed towards the meeting point. He couldn't believe it. The girl was foolish enough to believe him. He didn't think that it would be that simple for her to take the scroll. It was too easy! Then he heard voices up ahead. He could tell that it was Iruka and Kagome.

"Kagome-chan, I'm very disappointed in you."

"But I was told that if you learn a jutsu from the scroll, I could pass the test to become a ninja!"

"Stealing the Scroll of Seals is an act of treason, Kagome-chan."

"What?"

"Indeed it is, Ka-go-me." Mizuki said when he landed on a tree branch that gave him the perfect view of what was going on below: Shikaku had possessed Kagome's shadow, her dog was pinned down by Tsume's ninken, Asuma and Iruka were standing not too far from her.

"Why, Mizuki-sensei? Why did you lie to me?" Kagome asked, panicking.

"Why you say? I hate you because you're a jinchūriki! A monster!" Mizuki yelled out with anger in his voice.

"A monster?" Kagome asked with wide eyes.

"The reason why everyone hates you is because of the nine-tailed kitsune inside of you!" Mizuki yelled, smirking.

"I already knew that." Kagome said. All the jounins' eyes widened at Kagome's words. How is possible that Kagome found out that she's a jinchūriki?

"What?!" Mizuki exclaimed, shocked.

"You think I'm that dumb? I've heard the whispers around the village. Everyone kept saying that I house the nine tailed kitsune inside of me. When they thought that they were alone, I listened in on their conversations about it. So you didn't need to tell me, Mizuki." Kagome said, "I already knew that you've hated me since I first came to the academy."

"How?" Mizuki asked, pupils shaking. He didn't think that Kagome knew that he had a grudge against her.

"Sorry, you're not worthy to know how I knew, Mizuki." Kagome said with a closed eye smile.

"Why you-!" Mizuki began to say before a giant tan colored cat with two tails came up from behind him. Mizuki, caught off guard, fell backwards off the tree branch. Luckily, he landed perfectly on his feet. Unfortunately, when he looked down at his feet, he saw a summoning circle for shadow...and light? He looked back up and saw Kagome standing in front of him while performing a few hand signs and shouted, "Junsuina shadouchēn-jutsu!"

All of a sudden, the circle underneath Mizuki's feet glowed and pink chains quickly wrapped around Mizuki's body.

"What is that?" Iruka asked standing behind Kagome.

"My new jutsu." Kagome said.

"New jutsu?" Iruka asked.

"Hai. I call it: Junsuina shadouchēn-jutsu. Pure Shadow Chain Jutsu." Kagome said.

"Pure Shadow Chain Jutsu?" Shikaku asked, his brow arched.

"Hai. My jutsu is a little different from yours, Shikaku-sama. Those are miko-ki chains around Mizuki. The scroll that I have was just an anchor point to activate my jutsu." Kagome said.

"So that's what was in the scroll, right?" Asuma asked. He was impressed with this jutsu of hers. A jutsu that was nearly similar to the Nara clan's signature jutsu.

"Hai. Now it's an empty scroll." Kagome said. Then they heard a growl beside Kagome and turned towards the source. What they saw was a giant tan colored cat with red eyes that had black tips on its feet, ears, and on the end of its two tails. They yelped back in surprise.

"Don't worry, Kirara means no harm." Aki said.

"Kirara?" Tsume asked, curious of the giant cat.

"Hai, Kirara is a friend. She won't hurt you." Kagome said.

"But it looks like she might hurt Mizuki though." Aki muttered.

"She'll only hurt those who are trying to hurt me. But she's kind towards those who are my friends." Kagome said. Kirara growled in delight. They all sighed in relief. They weren't in the mood to get eaten by a giant cat.

"By the way, shouldn't we report him to the Hokage?" Kagome asked, pointing to Mizuki.

"Good point." Iruka said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Before we do, I need to show him that my doppelgangers were perfect during the test." Kagome said. Iruka looked over at Shikaku, Asuma, and Tsume. Well, it was true that Mizuki had claimed that Kagome's doppelgangers had a mistake during the test. They suppose that he should be punished for making Kagome fail the test. They all nodded in approval.

"Go right ahead, Kagome-chan." Iruka said.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei." Kagome said. Then she turned towards Mizuki who was starting to shake as she stood in front of him and performed a hand sigh.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Kagome shouted. Then a whole bunch of 'poofs' were all around them. When the smoke cleared, a hundred doppelgangers of Kagome were all around them.

"Everyone, you might want to look away. You're not going to like what you'll see." Kagome said while cracking her knuckles, "Clench your teeth, Mizuki."

Iruka, Shikaku, Asuma, Tsume, Kuromaru, Aki, and Kirara winced every now and then as Kagome's doppelgangers continued to beat Mizuki repeatedly. It was a good thing that they were turned away or else they would witness a very _disturbing_ site. Unfortunately, they had to listen to Mizuki scream out in pain after every few punches as it continued.

* * *

"Hokage-sama." A male chūnin said as he entered his office.

"Hm?" Sarutobi asked when he saw the chūnin enter his office.

"The Scroll of Seals hasn't been stolen." The chūnin said.

"Huh?" Sarutobi asked, blinking.

"It's still at the Hokage Residence." The chūnin said.

"Who said that the scroll was stolen?" Sarutobi asked.

"Mizuki, I believe so Hokage-sama." The chūnin said.

"So Mizuki had lied to Kagome-chan then." Sarutobi said.

"Then that means that Uzumaki is innocent?" The chūnin asked.

"Hai." Sarutobi said. Then he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Kagome, Iruka, Asuma, Shikaku, Tsume, and Kuromaru along with Aki came into the Hokage's office. He noticed a two tailed cat on Kagome's right shoulder. He wondered where that cat came from. Then two of Kagome's doppelgangers who were carrying a beat up Mizuki who was tied up came in last into the room.

 _It looks like Kagome-chan didn't hold back._ Sarutobi thought with a sweat drop on the side of his head when he saw how beat up Mizuki was.

"Kagome Uzumaki." Sarutobi said while interlocking his fingers together.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?" Kagome asked.

"You were accused of stealing the Scroll of Seals." Sarutobi said.

"Hai. But I didn't steal it. I only went into the vault to make a doppelganger of the scroll." Kagome said.

"I see. So nothing else was touched, Kagome-chan?" Sarutobi asked.

"Nothing else was touched, Hokage-sama." Kagome said.

"Good. But why did you pretend that you stole the scroll, Kagome-chan?" Sarutobi asked.

"I've always known that Mizuki had a grudge against me ever since I joined the academy. He was always trying to make me suffer while I was there as well. During the exam it looked like he wanted me to fail. After I failed, he suddenly wanted me to graduate and tells me to steal the scroll without getting caught. But then he tells everyone that I stole it. Doesn't that make it a little bit suspicious, Hokage-sama?" Kagome asked.

"That is true." Sarutobi said, rubbing his chin. He had always been of aware of Mizuki's suspicious behavior. Especially towards Kagome. But she was right. Why would Mizuki want Kagome to graduate when he wanted her to fail? He was glad that Kagome was able to figure out Mizuki's motive: framing Kagome for taking the Scroll of Seals.

"So here he is, Hokage-sama." Kagome said as two of her doppelgangers held Mizuki up. Suddenly, her doppelgangers went 'poof' and Mizuki fell onto the floor. He groaned at the pain of hitting the floor. It added to the pain of Kagome's doppelgangers who hit him repeatedly earlier. Everyone winced when he hit the floor and groaned.

"Oops." Kagome said.

"Take him to a holding cell for questioning." Sarutobi said to the chūnin who was still in the room.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The chūnin said, nodded. He walked over and bent down to pick up Mizuki, which he placed him over his shoulder. Then he walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

"Kagome Uzumaki." Sarutobi said.

"Hai?" Kagome asked.

"I now know that you were innocent in Mizuki's plot. I'm glad that you were able to stop him from further treasony." Sarutobi said.

"You're welcome, Hokage-sama." Kagome said as she nodded.

"By the way, Kagome-chan." Shikaku said.

"Hai, Shikaku-sama?" Kagome asked, turning towards Shikaku.

"That new jutsu of yours. You said it was nearly the same as mine. Could you explain it?" Shikaku asked.

"Well, you're able to control anyone by trapping their shadow, right?" Kagome asked.

"Hai." Shikaku said, nodded.

"My chains can locate someone's aura and trap them with those chains." Kagome said.

"I see. But you told me that those chains are made from your miko-ki." Shikaku said.

"So then that means…" Sarutobi began to say.

"I'm a miko." Kagome finished. Everyone's eyes widened at that moment. They didn't think that Kagome would be a miko.

"But...are you sure, Kagome-chan?" Sarutobi asked.

"Hai. Ever since I was very little, I had this unexplainable power. The first time I used it was when I was trying to heal Aki when he got injured from protecting me from a snake attack. Somehow the snake's poison was gone after I used this power. Later that night, I met a miko in my dream. She told me that I'm her reincarnation. Of course I didn't believe her at first. But when she told about the power I used on Aki, I knew that she was telling the truth." Kagome said.

"A reincarnation of a miko, huh?" Sarutobi asked as he tapped his pipe, "Do you believe her, Kagome-chan?"

"Of course I do. How did you think all of my ninnekos and ninkens gained the gift of speech?" Kagome asked.

"That is possible." Sarutobi said.

"So you were the one who gave them the gift of speech?" Tsume asked.

"Hai. But not only can my power heal, they can form barriers and purify any evil demon!" Kagome said, excitedly.

"Really?" Asuma asked.

"Hai." Kagome said.

"By the way, Kirara is a demon, right?" Iruka asked, pointing at Kirara who jumped onto the top of Kagome's head.

"Hai, she's a nekomata youkai. But as I said before, she won't harm you." Kagome said. Kirara mewed.

"Are you sure, Kagome-chan?" Iruka asked, uncertain.

"Hai. It turns out that Kirara was that miko's partner. So she's my protector." Kagome said.

"I see." Iruka said with a small smile.

"None of you will speak about my abilities to anyone, right?" Kagome asked, nervously.

"Don't worry, Kagome-chan. We won't." Sarutobi said. All of the jounin in the room nodded their heads. Kagome smiled brightly at everyone.

"Thank you, everyone." Kagome said.

* * *

The sun was fully in the sky when Kagome and the others walked out of the Hokage tower.

"Hey, Kagome-chan." Shikaku said.

"Hai, Shikaku-sama?" Kagome asked.

"How did you know about Mizuki's plan, Kagome-chan?" Shikaku asked.

"Body language and aura, Shikaku-sama." Kagome said.

"What do you mean, Kagome-chan?" Iruka asked, curious.

"During the test, Mizuki looked almost desperate for me to fail. When I failed the test, he looked relieved. Then he told me about another way to graduate, it was like he wanted me to take the scroll when I refused to." Kagome said, "As for his aura, it was tainted ever since I first met him."

"So that's why you said it was fine that you failed during the test, right? You knew that Mizuki had a plan to frame you." Iruka said. Kagome nodded.

"I knew that he was waiting for his chance. So I let him have it." Kagome said.

"So you let him into a trap in order to expose him, huh Kagome?" Shikaku asked.

"Hai." Kagome said. Then Shikaku placed his hand on her hand and ruffled her hair a bit.

"Well done, Kagome-chan. You outsmarted him." Shikaku said, grinning. Kagome smiled with her eyes closed.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Iruka said.

"Forgot what, Iruka-sensei?" Kagome asked, confused.

"Close your eyes, Kagome-chan." Iruka said.

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"Just do it." Iruka said. Kagome closed her eyes and heard Iruka getting closer to her. Then she felt something being put around her head.

"Okay, open them." Iruka said. When Kagome opened her eyes, she noticed that Iruka wasn't wearing his hitai-ate around his forehead. Iruka pointed to his forehead. Kagome looked up and felt the object around her head. She outlined the Konoha symbol on a metal plate with her fingers. She knew it was a hitai-ate. Then she looked at her sensei with wide eyes.

"Congrads, you've just graduated, Kagome-chan!" Iruka said. Kagome's smile started to spread on her face. Unexpectedly, Kagome hugged Iruka onto his waist. He was surprised for a moment and then he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around. Soon enough, everyone began to laugh with joy.

Iruka knew that becoming genin was only the beginning for Kagome. He knew that she would be facing many challenges in the near future. But he didn't want to ruin the moment for now. He would tell her later on.

* * *

Sarutobi smiled as he watched the scene between Iruka and Kagome from his office window. He could tell that Kagome will become a great ninja in the future. He was surprised that Kagome was able to catch Mizuki with her new jutsu which also caught his attention. Kagome had said that she had found out that she was a miko and that it was miko-ki that made those chains. From what he had read, mikos haven't appeared in centuries. They were able to defeat demons and perform seals. Was it possible that Kagome's powers were able to keep a tight seal on the nine-tailed kitsune? Perhaps he should read some more on mikos.

* * *

 _Hatred is a very underestimated emotion._

\- Jim Morrison

* * *

 **A/N:**

Jutsu:

Junsuina shadouchēn-jutsu - Pure Shadow Chain Jutsu

Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Multiple Shadow Clone Technique


	4. The Masked Sensei

Chapter 4: The Masked Sensei

Kagome will be assigned to a genin team and meet her jounin sensei. She wondered who the sensei might be. She has heard of all the powerful jounin in the village. Would it be Kurenai Yūhi, the powerful genjutsu user who is rivaled to the Uchiha clan? Or Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the third Hokage? Or maybe Kakashi Hatake the Copy-nin? Those were the only famous ones she knew about. She knew that they are all equally powerful. But she was mostly curious about Kakashi Hatake. He became genin at the age of five, a chuunin at six, and then a jounin at twelve. He was a prodigy alright. His mother died at childbirth. So he was raised by his father, Sakumo Hatake who was known as the White Fang of Konoha. Unfortunately, his reputation went downhill after a failure of an important mission. His father had two choices during that mission: abandon your comrades and complete the mission or abandon the mission and save your comrades. Sakumo decided to save his comrades. Afterwards, the villagers hated him for the failed mission and soon went into depression. It was reported that Sakumo had committed suicide in order to end his depression.

Kagome couldn't help but to feel sorry for Kakashi. Losing a mother at birth and then a father. She couldn't believe that the village, even the comrades he saved, hated him for saving his comrades. How could the village be so cruel to the most honorable shinobi? She respected and admired Sakumo for his skills and loyalty to the village. She just wished that she had the chance to meet him.

* * *

Kagome walked down the street towards the academy with Kirara sitting in her hood part of her hoodie. She was wondering who she'll have on her team. From what she had learned, they had to group those with the lowest scores with the highest scores. Her best guess that she'll be grouped with Sasuke Uchiha, Ryouta Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, or possibly Shino Aburame who all have high scores. But she doesn't know who she'll be grouped with those with the lowest scores. Well, she'll just have to find out. She was fine with working with either one of them.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar aura nearby. She turned to her left and saw something strange. There was a person hiding behind a cloak, using the pattern of the fence behind them. The only problem was that the person was holding the cloak in the wrong direction. She now knew who this person was: Konohamaru Sarutobi. She remembered when she first met the grandson of the Sandaime. She was with the Sandaime who had just approved of her picture and then a young boy dashed into the room with a kunai at hand and fell flat on his face. Konohamaru first accused her of making him trip and then the two got mad at each other until Kagome hit him on the back of the head and left. It wasn't until later when she sensed him following her throughout the village. Soon enough, he finally revealed himself to her. He told her of the annoyance of repeatedly being called the honorable grandson and wanted to be the next Hokage quickly. Kagome told him that there is no shortcut to getting stronger. She told him that if he wanted to become Hokage he had to defeat her first. Then Ebisu, Konohamaru's sensei, showed up and tried to separate her and Konohamaru. She used the Oiroke no jutsu that she had made up for distractions of any case. Let's just say that Ebisu shot up in the air with blood shooting out of his nose. At the end of the day, Kagome and Konohamaru made their first challenge: they will train hard to become the next Hokage.

"Konohamaru, I know that it's you." Kagome said. Konohamaru took off the cloak and ran up to her.

"Very good, Kagome! As expected of my rival!" Konohamaru shouted with a big smile.

"I didn't do anything, Konohamaru." Kagome said with a sweatdrop on her temple.

"Let's fight fair now!" Konohamaru challenged.

"I wish I could, Konohamaru-kun, but I have to get to an orientation now." Kagome said.

"Orientation?" Konohamaru asked, confused.

"Hai! As of today...I'm a ninja!" Kagome pointed at her Konoha headband. Konohamaru stared at the headband with amazement.

"Well, I gotta get going or I'll be late!" Kagome said as she started to run. But then she turned around and waved her left arm, "See you later, Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru watched her as she turned around and ran down the street, her figure getting smaller and smaller.

* * *

She entered the academy and headed towards the assigned classroom. When she walked in, she noticed that the class was empty which meant that she was early. She blamed Inuyasha for making her an early riser. He was always in a hurry to get going on the road. Why was he always in a hurry? Well, that no longer matters. Then she spotted Sasuke sitting near the middle row. She walked towards where he sat.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun." Kagome said, smiling.

"Good morning, Kagome-chan." Sasuke said with a small smile. She knew that Sasuke would only smile when they were both alone. Kagome called it his "private smile". He would never smile when there were others around.

"Can I sit next to you?" Kagome asked. Sasuke nodded. She slid next to him and started reading the book she brought with her. Kirara jumped out of her hood and walked on the desk to sit in front of Sasuke. He raised his brow at Kirara when she mewed at him. Then he understood what she wanted him to do. He scratched the back of her ears and she started purring with delight. Soon enough more students began to show up. Sasuke had no choice but to stop scratching Kirara's ears, much to Kirara's disappointment. She walked over and sat on the desk between Kagome and Sasuke. But soon enough Sasuke's fan club began to gather.

" **I'M FIRST!** " Ino and Sakura said at the same when they entered the classroom. They started breathing heavily. Kagome's biggest guess was that the two must have raced to get here. She glanced over at Sasuke who also glanced at her. The two of them sighed along with Kirara. Those two were always having competitions over the stupidest things.

"Good morning, Sasuke." Sakura said with a cheerful voice. Sasuke had his eyes closed, so that he didn't have to glance at Sakura, with his hands interlocked in front of him.

"Kagome, could you _please_ move out so that I can sit next to Sasuke?" Sakura asked, sweetly.

"Hey Sasuke, did you hear something?" Kagome asked, blankly while reading her book.

"No, I didn't hear anything. It's probably just the wind, Kagome." Sasuke said, blankly.

"I believe you're right, Sasuke." Kagome said, still reading her book. She was smirking on the inside.

"Hey!" Sakura said with a tick mark on her forehead.

"Not so fast, Sakura! That seat is mine!" Ino said. Another fan girl showed up saying the same thing as Ino. Then another, then another, and then another. Soon enough, there was a crowd near the middle row. Kagome, Kirara, and Sasuke sighed once more.

"It's quite loud in the morning, huh Kagome-chan, Sasuke, Kirara?" A male voice asked. Kagome, Kirara, and Sasuke turned towards the voice and saw Ryouta Hyuuga sitting next to Kagome.

"Ryouta-kun, good morning." Kagome said, smiling at Ryouta.

"Morning." Sasuke said, nodded. Kirara mewed in greeting.

"Thank you, a good morning to you all as well." Ryouta said, smiling.

" **HEY!** " The girls yelled when they noticed that Ryouta was sitting next to Kagome.

"Get out of that seat!" Sakura yelled.

"Why?" Ryouta asked, his brow arched.

"It's mine!" Sakura shouted.

"Really? I didn't see your name on it. So that means that it doesn't belong to you, Haruno." Ryouta said with a closed eye smile.

"Why you-" Sakura began to say before Iruka-sensei came into the room.

"Everyone take a seat." Iruka said as he stood near the blackboard. All of Sasuke's fan girls grudgingly had to take another seat since they couldn't sit next to 'their' beloved Sasuke. Once everyone was seated, Iruka spoke again in front of the class.

"Today, you are all genin who will be put on squads and be lead by a jounin as your sensei."

 _A three man squad?_ Sakura thought. She glanced at Sasuke who sat in front of her, _I hope I'm put on his squad!_ Then she glanced at Kagome who was sitting next Sasuke, _Hopefully she's not on my squad!_

The minutes passed as Iruka announced the teams. Kagome wasn't really paying attention, she was only waiting until her name would be called. Then she heard Iruka's announcement.

"Team seven consists of Sakura Haruno,...Sasuke Uchiha,...and Kagome Uzumaki." Iruka said. At first, Sakura was happy beyond words when she heard that Sasuke Uchiha was put on her team until that moment ended when she heard that Kagome Uzumaki was also on her team.

"Iruka-sensei, why do I have to have to be teamed up with blondie?" Sakura asked, standing up while pointing at Kagome. What she didn't know that Kagome and Sasuke were both glaring at her.

"Kagome was announced as kunoichi of the year. She scored higher than you and Sasuke." Iruka said with a tick mark on the side of his head. He really hated to be interrupted.

"HEH?!" Sakura exclaimed. She didn't know that! How did Kagome become kunoichi of the year? Not only that, how did Kagome score higher than her?

"I spent most of my time studying and training instead of stalking a certain somebody." Kagome voice broke Sakura out of her thoughts.

 _How did she know?! Is she a mind reader?!_ Sakura thought, panicking.

"No, I'm not. Your expression made it obvious, Haruno-chan." Kagome said as she read her book. Sasuke smirked when he saw how Kagome easily outranked Sakura. When he heard that he was teamed up with Sakura Haruno, he thought the kami were cursing him until he heard that Kagome Uzumaki was put on his team. Kagome was the only kunoichi he respected in the whole academy. The first reason was because she didn't fawn on him like all of the other girls. The second, she didn't compare him to his older brother, Itachi. The final reason was because she was very intelligent and a strong kunoichi who works hard. All the other kunoichi were trying their hardest to gain his attention. He could easily strike up a conversation with her about anything. He was shocked when she failed the graduation exam. He later heard that Mizuki-sensei had set her up and tried to trick her into stealing the Scroll of Seals. But she actually tricked _him_ instead. The smirk remained on his face for a little while.

Shikamaru Nara was also disappointed. He wanted Kagome on his team. Instead he was teamed up with Ino Yamanaka. He didn't mind teaming up with Chōji Akimichi. But Ino might be the hardest to get along with. Her obsession with Sasuke Uchiha was gonna be a problem. He didn't know what girls see in that guy. He had to admit that the guy is smart and has exceptional skills. However, Kagome seem to be smarter and stronger than him. He remembered the first day he met her when she accidentally tripped over him when he was taking a nap on the grass hills. Whenever they play shogi together, they always end in a tie. But whenever she went against his dad, he always lost. It almost drove his dad crazy on how she beats him every time. He smiled at the image of his father's down expression when he was defeated by Kagome twice in two games. But he frowned when he found out that Mizuki-sensei made Kagome fail the graduation test in order for her to steal the Scroll of Seals. Fortunately, Kagome already knew his plan and caught him in her trap. She was definitely smarter than Mizuki-sensei alright.

Ryouta Hyuuga was disappointed. He wanted Kagome to be put on his team. But as Iruka-sensei said, they put those with the lowest scores with the highest scores. He was envied of Sasuke who has Kagome on his team. Well, he'll just have to get along with Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, and Shino Aburame. It's not that he didn't hate Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino. He could easily get along fine with Kiba and his dog, Akamaru. But Shino was a different story. He's very...off-putting and quiet almost all the time. He remembered the one time when Kagome went up to Shino to ask about what attracts bees. It wasn't until the next day he found out that a group of civilian boys were being chased by a group of bees. When he found out that Kagome didn't pass the exam, he was very shocked. A few hours ago, he was told that Mizuki-sensei wanted her to fail so that he could trick her into getting the Scroll of Seals. He also heard that she outsmarted Mizuki and that she beat the hell out of him with her doppelgängers.

Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru were a little bit disappointed that Kagome wasn't going to be on their team. He had a big amount of respect for Kagome because of her fondness for dogs and other animals. Whenever he was walking home, he saw her feeding all of the stray cats and dogs of Konoha. He did see the dogs defend her when a group of teenage boys were about to corner her. It was funny how the dogs chased them when they tried to get away. He followed them and saw the boys up in the trees with the dogs barking below them. When he heard that Kagome failed the exam, he was shocked at it. He knew that she was a smart and strong girl who never made any mistakes. Then he found out that Mizuki-sensei made her fail in order to trick her into getting the Scroll of Seals. But Kagome discovered his plot and beat the living daylights out of him. He quietly chuckled when he remembered it.

Shino Aburame was disappointed at this turn out. He wanted Kagome on his team. He had respect for her knowledge of bugs. He remembered the one time she came up to him and asked him about what attracts bees. He was confused at first, but he told her anyway. It was until the next day that he heard that a bunch of civilian boys were being chased by a swarm of bees. He chuckled at that thought. He had to admit that she was very smart on payback for those who were being mean to her. He was speechless when he found out that she failed the graduation test. He later found out that Mizuki-sensei made Kagome fail the test and tried to convince her to steal the Scroll of Seals. He also heard that her doppelgängers beat the heck out of Mizuki-sensei until you couldn't exactly see his face.

* * *

Lunch time came. Kagome and Kirara were sitting on the academy rooftop. She liked eating there. It was peaceful and had a great view of the sky. This was where she always ate when she attended the academy. Then she heard footsteps behind her. She could tell who it was by the person's aura.

"I had a feeling that you would join me soon enough." Kagome said. She looked over her shoulder, "Sasuke-kun."

"Hm." Sasuke said. He walked over and sat beside her. She held out her bento out to him.

"Want some?" Kagome asked.

"Sure." Sasuke said. She handed him a pair of chopsticks and they shared the bento together.

"What do you think our sensei is going to be like, Sasuke-kun?" Kagome asked.

"Don't know. I hope he or she is strong." Sasuke said.

"Hai. But he or she also has to be smart and understanding." Kagome said.

"Understanding?" Sasuke asked, his brow arched.

"He or she must understand us. That way, they'll know how to help us get stronger and become a better person." Kagome said, looking up at the sky.

"I guess you're right, Kagome-chan." Sasuke said, looking up at the sky as well.

* * *

"So this is where Kagome Uzumaki lives." Kakashi Hatake said as he and the Hokage entered Kagome's apartment.

"Hai. But you'll also have Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno as well." Sarutobi said. Kakashi saw a list of groceries and a list of things to do on the fridge. There were no dishes in the sink, which meant that they were washed and put away. The table, floors, and windows were cleaned. Then he opened the door to her room and saw how clean and neat the room is. A bed made, photo frames on the bureau and on the wall, a table near the window that had jars of herbs on it, and a neat pile of books and scrolls on the desk.

"She appears to be a very clean and organized person." Kakashi said, looking around the room. He was glad that she was an organized person and liked to stay clean. He imagined with all of those ninken and nekos she has, the apartment would be a mess. But it wasn't.

"Indeed." Sarutobi said as he followed Kakashi into the room. He gazed at the photo frames and smiled at them. There was one of his son, Asuma, and four year old Kagome. Another of little Kagome, Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, Ryouta Hyuuga, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru. Another of little Kagome and Mao. Another of little Kagome with Kirara, and Aki. There was one of Kagome and Iruka both wearing their hitai-ates. The last one had him and little Kagome who was wearing his Hokage hat. In each of the photos, Kagome was always smiling. He knew that the girl would always try so hard to be strong during her rough childhood. Somehow, she was able to connect with the villagers, even though there were only a few who accepted her.

"Who are all of these people?" Kakashi asked. He recognized a few of them. Asuma and Iruka were one of them. He didn't know how Asuma was able to befriend Kagome Uzumaki. After all, every shinobi and kunoichi in Konoha hated Kagome because of the nine-tailed kitsune inside of her. He had pretty good guess that Iruka easily bonded with Kagome because they had the same circumstances, a little bit different though.

"Kagome's precious people." Sarutobi said, still smiling.

* * *

Right now, they were waiting for their jounin sensei to show up. It had been two hours since everyone left with their jounin sensei. Even Iruka and the other teachers had left. Kagome really didn't like anyone being late. It makes a bad impression. Waiting for someone to show up was really boring. Now Kagome knew how Inuyasha felt when he was always waiting for her to show up back in the feudal era.

"He's late." Kagome said, leaning against one of the desk with her arms crossed.

"Ugh, where the heck is he? He was suppose to be here two hours ago!" Sakura said, aggravating tone while walking back and forth in the room.

"What could possibly keep him from showing up on time?" Kagome asked, looking up at the ceiling. At that moment, Kagome pulled out her kunai and threw it towards the door as it cracked opened. The person quickly leaned to his left, missing the kunai by two inches before it cut his right ear. He looked over his shoulder and saw the kunai impaled into the door frame behind him. Then he turned towards Kagome who stood near the podium. Her left hand was on her hip while her right was stretched out, which meant that she threw the kunai.

"You should really learn to show up on time, sen~sei." Kagome said, sounding out the word as if he were a child. The person in front of them was a male with spiky silver colored hair leaning to the left side. The lower part of his face was covered with a mask and his hitai-ate covered his left eye. Only his right eye was uncovered. He wore the standard jounin outfit: green flak jacket, dark blue pants, a long sleeve shirt, and fingerless gloves with metal plates on the backhand. Kagome knew who this man was: Kakashi Hatake the Copy-nin.

 _Interesting_. Kakashi Hatake thought as he stared at the blonde kunoichi. He never suspected that the girl would have good aim. Even though he ducked at the last second. If he hadn't, the kunai would have hit the middle of his forehead. He had to give her credit for that. He was surprised that she knew who he was. But he already knew who she was: Kagome Uzumaki the nine-tails jinchūriki. She was top of her class, tied to Sasuke Uchiha. No parents, living on her own, and played pranks on the other students and some civilians. But she was friends to some of the clans and few civilians.

"Sorry, sorry, I had to help an old lady with her groceries." Kakashi said. The looks on their faces told him that they didn't believe him. Well, he tried.

"Okay then, meet me on the roof." Kakashi said before he 'poof' out of the room.

"Come on, Sasuke!" Kagome whispered as she stood next to him and took his hand. Then she performed a hand sigh. By the time Sakura turned around to talk to Sasuke, he was gone and so was Kagome.

* * *

Kakashi watched Kagome and Sasuke teleport onto the roof. He was quite impressed that the two were able to get onto the roof just a minute after he left. But they left the other comrade behind though. He had heard from Iruka that Kagome was able to capture Mizuki with a new jutsu of hers. She knew that Mizuki hated her ever since she came to the academy. She also knew that Mizuki had a plan to frame her by taking the Scroll of Seals and was able to outsmart him as well. Not to mention that she was able to create such a jutsu as well. He would have thought that the Nara clan would think of something like this.

 _Quite impressive for someone her age._ Kakashi thought, _But how smart is she though?_

Even though he was claimed a prodigy at the age of five when he became a genin. He was top of the class and his talents were recognized. He became popular as well. Not that he cared about being popular. The sound of a door opening broke him from his thoughts. There stood Sakura who was panting. His possible guess that she was rushing up the stairs in order to get to the roof.

"What took you so long, Haruno?" Kagome asked. Sakura gained a irk mark on her forehead.

"Anyway, how about we all introduce ourselves?" Kakashi asked, rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke sat first on the steps, followed by Kagome and then Sakura.

"What are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked.

"Your name, hobbies, likes and dislikes, future dreams, anything like that." Kakashi said, crossing his arms. Truth be told, he didn't really care what they would say.

"So who would like to go first?" Kakashi asked.

"How about you start, sensei?" Kagome asked, pointing at Kakashi.

"Alright then. I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have likes and dislikes. I have few hobbies. As for my future dreams,...I won't tell you." Kakashi said. Kagome, Kirara, Sasuke, and Sakura sweat dropped.

 _ **We only found out his name**_. The genin team thought.

"Okay, blondie." Kakashi said, pointing at Kagome, who had a irk mark on the side of her head.

"I'm Kagome Uzumaki and this is my partner, Kirara." Kirara mewed, "My likes are oden, cats, and dogs. My dislikes are fan girls. My hobbies are reading, training, cooking, and pranking. My future dream is to become the first greatest female Hokage that Konoha has ever seen!" Kagome said with determination.

 _Quite interesting._ Kakashi thought. It made sense to him. She wanted to be recognized as a Konoha kunoichi. A strong one at that. It was a small possibility that Kagome might become stronger than both of her parents.

"Next, pinkie." Kakashi said, pointing at Sakura who had a irk mark on the side of her head.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. I like (giggle). I mean who I like is (giggle). My future dream is (squeal)." Sakura squealed with her fists in front of her mouth while glancing at Sasuke, who wasn't paying any of attention at her.

"What do you hate?" Kakashi asked, bored while leaning his chin in his left palm.

"KAGOME!" Sakura shouted as she pointed at Kagome.

"I hate you as well, Haruno- _chan_." Kagome said, looking at Sakura with a closed eye smile. Sakura suddenly began to regret her words when she felt the dangerous and black aura surrounding Kagome.

 _She's scary!_ Sakura thought with a sweatdrop on the back of her head while scooting a little bit away from Kagome. A sweatdrop also appeared on the back of Kakashi's head.

"OOkay, attitude." Kakashi said, pointing at Sasuke who had his fingers interlocked together.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like anything (except Kagome). I don't have any hobbies. What I have is not a dream...but an ambition. I will kill a certain person and avenge my clan." Sasuke said in cold and dark tone.

 _ **Itachi Uchiha, no doubt**_. Kagome and Kakashi thought at the same time. Kagome knew that Sasuke had a deep seed hatred for his older brother, Itachi. He once had respect for him and hoped to surpass him. That is...until the night Itachi had slaughtered the whole clan. She was there when she and Sasuke had seen the slaughtered members of the Uchiha clan all over the place. The both of them ran towards the clan head's house. When they got there, they saw the most horrifying sight: Sasuke's mother laid dead with his father's body over her. But that wasn't the only thing they saw: Itachi, wearing his ANBU uniform, appearing from the shadow of the room. He was staring at them with his Sharingan eyes. She could tell that Sasuke was confused of who killed his parents. He finally figured it out when Itachi threw a shuriken at him. After he told the both of them that he killed the clan, Kagome grabbed Sasuke's hand and fled from the house and into the streets. Then he suddenly appeared in front of them and activated a Sharingan technique on Sasuke. She was nearly trembling when she saw Sasuke clutching onto his head and screaming out in agony. Luckily, she was able to snap him out of it. Itachi spoke of a technique that Sasuke has learn in order to surpass him: Mangekyō Sharingan. He said that if he has someone close to him, kill them. Kagome and Sasuke were shocked at this. The last words Itachi had said to Sasuke were:

 _If you want to kill me, blame me, hate me. Then seek me out if you wish to avenge the clan._

Soon after he said those words, Sasuke fainted. She caught him in her arms before he could fall to the ground. But the last words Itachi had said to her confused her.

 _Kagome, please take care of my little brother_.

Tears were still coming down his cheeks when Sasuke went unconscious and disappeared. That was the very last time she saw Itachi Uchiha.

 _So I have a determined kunoichi, a fangirl, and an avenger. An interesting group I have._ Kakashi thought with a smirk underneath his mask. A _VERY interesting group I have._

"Alright then, starting tomorrow, we'll begin our first mission together." Kakashi said.

"What kind of mission?" Kagome asked, her head tilted to the side.

"A survival test." Kakashi said.

"Survival test?" Sakura asked, confused.

"Hai. But it's isn't going to be like the ones you had in the academy." Kakashi said. Then he began to laugh for some reason. They were starting to feel uneasy by Kakashi's dark laugh.

"Um, what's so funny, Kakashi-sensei?" Kagome asked, confused at why their sensei was suddenly laughing. It started to creep her out.

"If I told you, you probably won't like it." Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask. They looked at each other and then back at Kakashi. He cleared his throat before he answered.

"Out of 27 graduates, only 9 of them will become ninjas. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy and be waited out. The chances of failing this test is probably 66%." Kakashi said, still smiling underneath his mask. Kagome and Sakura had a look of shock on their faces except Sasuke who had a dark glare on his face. Kakashi laughed again while pointing at their expressions.

"See, I told you wouldn't like it." Kakashi said.

"So what was the point of us graduating only just to get sent back to the academy?" Kagome asked, her brow arched. Kakashi instantly stopped laughing.

"Your graduation test was to prove yourself at whether you become a ninja or not. In order to be passed as real ninjas, genin have to pass a test that a jounin assigns. Since jounins have more experience in the shinobi world. It also helps prepare them for real missions." Kakashi said.

Everyone was determined at that moment. None of them wanted to fail the test that Kakashi will assign to them. The only thing was that they had different goals in mind.

 _I can't fail this test! If I do, I'll be separated from Sasuke-kun forever and he'll be with that blondie! This is a trial of love!_ Sakura thought as she glared at Kagome who didn't pay any attention to her. At the same time, Sasuke was clenching his fists.

 _I_ won't _fail. I_ will _surpass my older brother. I_ will _revenge the Uchiha clan._ Sasuke thought. Then he glanced at Kagome who was sitting next to him who also glanced at him as well, _I also don't want to be separated from Kagome-chan._

"So come to training ground 7 tomorrow at 5 am. Bring your ninja gear with you as well." Kakashi said, "Oh by the way, don't eat breakfast."

"Why?" Sakura asked, confused. Everyone blinked in confusion.

"You might barf." Kakashi said with his visible eye closed which was shaped like a upside 'U' and went 'poof' after his warning.

* * *

 _Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual. If the people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me._

 _-_ A. P. J. Abdul Kalam


	5. The Jounin's Test

Chapter 5: The Jounin's Test

"So we're going to have to work together in order to defeat Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun." Kagome said. Soon after Kakashi went 'poof', so did Kagome and Sasuke. They ended up on a rooftop not too far from the academy. Then they decided to go and train for Kakashi's test. Neither of them wanted to fail.

"Hai. But I wonder how strong he is." Sasuke said.

"I'm wondering the same thing too." Kagome said. Then she recognized a familiar figure not too far away from her.

"Asuma-sensei!" Kagome said as she rushed towards the figure.

* * *

Asuma Sarutobi was walking down the street on the way to his favorite tea shop with his cigarette in his mouth. He just met up with his genin team: the Ino-Shika-Cho group. Shikamaru and Chōji easily got along, but Ino looked like she couldn't stand them. But he knew that they'll be able to pass the test that he'll assign to them. Then he heard someone call his name behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a female blonde haired genin run towards him with a male black haired genin behind her.

"Ah, Kagome-chan!" Asuma said as he waved his arm. He was hoping to see Kagome sooner or later.

"It's good to see you, Asuma-sensei!" Kagome said as she and Sasuke stood in front of him.

"It's good to see you, too, Kagome-chan." Asuma said as he smiled, "So what are you two doing here?"

"Oh, me and Sasuke-kun were just on our way to go train." Kagome said.

"Train for what?" Asuma asked, curious.

"Tomorrow, we have to pass Kakashi-sensei's test." Kagome said, determinately.

"I see. Kakashi is a hard one to pass." Asuma said.

"You know him, Asuma-sensei?" Kagome asked, curious.

"Hai. I know him." Asuma said.

"Can you tell us anything about him?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, no genin team has ever passed his test." Asuma said, rubbing the back of his head with his eyes closed.

" **HEH?!** " Kagome and Sasuke exclaimed with comical wide eyes.

"A-Are y-you serious, Asuma-sensei?" Kagome stuttered. Asuma nodded his head, which meant that he was telling the horrifying truth about Kakashi.

"Well, that means that we have to train _really_ hard together, Sasuke-kun." Kagome said with both of her fists in front of her while looking at Sasuke.

"Hai." Sasuke said, nodded.

"In that case, Kagome-chan, could you accompany me somewhere?" Asuma asked.

"Sure. Is it okay if Sasuke-kun comes along?" Kagome asked.

"Hai. Follow me." Asuma said as he turned around and started walking away with Kagome and Sasuke behind him.

* * *

They soon arrived at a weapon's shop. Kagome and Sasuke were mostly curious to why they were here. Asuma walked up the front desk with Kagome on his left side and Sasuke on his right. Then a man with short black hair and hazel eyes appeared behind the desk. It looked like he was manager of the store.

"Asuma-san, it's great to see you here." The man said.

"It's great to see you, too, Taki." Asuma said.

"What brings you here? Your blades still need a little bit of sharpening." Taki said.

"I figured that. But I was wondering if you have that special order for me." Asuma said.

"Hai, I finished it yesterday. I'll go get them now." Taki said. Then he left the counter and went to go get something in the back.

"What's this 'special order', Asuma-sensei?" Kagome asked.

"You'll see, Kagome-chan." Asuma said. Soon enough, Taki returned with a box in his hands. Then he placed it on the counter.

"They should be to your liking." Taki said.

"I'm sure, Taki." Asuma said, lifting the lid on the box. He smiled at what was in the box. Kagome and Sasuke leaned in closer to what was in the box. Inside was a pair of chakra blades with a uniquely designed trench knife worn like brass knuckles. Above the knuckles was a zigzag shape for each knuckle, which made them look like 'teeth'. Asuma handed the blades to Kagome.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, her head tilted to the side.

"Try them." Asuma said. Kagome gently took a hold of them. Her fingers fitted perfectly and comfortably in each knuckle hole. The metal wasn't too heavy or too light.

"Well?" Asuma asked.

"It's at the perfect weight and quite comfortable in the knuckle holes." Kagome said.

"Good." Asuma said, "Hey Taki, you don't mind if we test them out?"

"Sure, go right ahead." Taki said.

"Thanks, Taki. Now come on, you two. I know the perfect place to test them out." Asuma said.

"Really? Where?" Kagome asked.

"Hold on." Asuma said as he grabbed ahold of Kagome and Sasuke. The next thing that Kagome and Sasuke knew, they were at a training ground. Kagome recognized this place.

"Asuma-sensei, this is…?" Kagome began to say. Asuma nodded with a smile.

"Hai, this is where we first we met, Kagome-chan." Asuma said.

"A great meeting it became." Kagome said. Asuma nodded once more.

"How about we try out those blades?" Asuma asked, "You remember how to use them?"

"Hai." Kagome said as she nodded. Then she concentrated her chakra onto the blade. She readied her aim towards the tree in front of her. She threw the blade straight at her target. It went straight through the tree and split the rock in half that was behind the tree. Asuma whistled at the result while Sasuke had comically wide eyes.

"Impressive." Asuma said.

"S-Sugoi." Sasuke said. He didn't know that Kagome had that sort of strength.

"Thank you, Asuma-sensei." Kagome said, smiling at Asuma.

"Now, let's see how you fight with them on." Asuma said, taking out a kunai.

"Okay. Can Sasuke help as well?" Kagome asked.

"Sure." Asuma said.

"Great!" Kagome said before she went to get her other blade.

* * *

They trained for two hours. Asuma was impressed with Kagome's mastering of the chakra blades. He had to admit that she's a fast learner. Not only that, she and Sasuke are working perfectly together against him. He had a pretty good feeling that Kagome will surprise Kakashi with her new moves, especially her chakra blades.

"Okay, that's enough for now." Asuma said when he jumped away and put his kunai back in it's holster.

"So do you like them?" Asuma asked.

"Hai! I definitely like them." Kagome said, gazing at the blades.

"Good, because they belong to you now." Asuma said.

"Really?!" Kagome exclaimed excitedly. Asuma nodded.

"Hai. You deserved them." Asuma said with a closed eye smile. All of a sudden, Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thank you, Asuma-sensei. Thank you so much." Kagome said. Asuma's brown eyes softened. Then he wrapped his arm around Kagome and placed his other hand on her head.

"You're welcome, Kagome-chan." Asuma said.

* * *

Today was the day of Kakashi's test. Even though, Kakashi told them that they had to be there at five. Kagome arrived two and a half hours after five.

"Where the heck were you?! You were suppose to be here by five!" Sakura shouted, pointing at Kagome.

"I had to feed all of my ninnekos and ninkens, clean the floor, make my bed, do my laundry, take out the trash, take a shower, get changed, and double checked that I brought my ninja gear with me. Then I made sure that I locked the door before I left." Kagome said.

"So it took you two hours to get all of your chores done?" Sakura asked, brow twitched.

"Hai." Kagome said. But what she didn't mention was that she had breakfast, cleaned the dishes, and put them away. So that was added to the half hour to her chores. She let Kirara stay at home for the test. This wasn't a dangerous mission, so she wanted Kirara to relax for a while. Kagome made sure that Kirara will go with her when they get missions.

"Ugh, just where the heck is he?" Sakura complained. Kagome could easily tell that Sakura was getting antsy so far. Kagome sat down by the tree and took out a book to read. She felt Sasuke sitting beside her.

"Sorry that I left you alone with Haruno, Sasuke-kun." Kagome whispered.

"I accept your apology. But you owe me something after this test is over." Sasuke whispered.

"What do you want?" Kagome whispered, glancing at Sasuke.

"I'll let you know afterwards." Sasuke whispered with a small smirk.

"By the way, here's something to keep your energy up." Kagome whispered as she took out a breakfast bar from her holster.

"Thanks, Kagome-chan." Sasuke whispered as he accepted the breakfast bar and unwrapped it.

"You're welcome, Sasuke-kun." Kagome said, going back to reading her book.

Even though Sasuke didn't like sweets all that much, he really started to like the breakfast bar. It was granola with cinnamon on it, which added the sweetness to it. Somehow, he felt a lot better after eating it.

"I would give one to Haruno. But she would probably refuse." Kagome whispered.

"You're probably right on that one, Kagome-chan." Sasuke whispered.

* * *

Kakashi finally showed up an hour later. He 'poofed' into the clearing where Kagome, Sasuke, and Sakura were.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura shouted angrily while pointing her finger at Kakashi.

"Sorry, a black cat got in my way and I had to take the long way around." Kakashi said.

"LIAR!" Sakura shouted. Kakashi sweatdropped. He had a pretty good feeling that the three of them wouldn't believe him anyway.

"Alright then, let's get started." Kakashi said as he took out a clock and placed it on one of the three poles that stood in the ground.

"This clock is set for noon. You have until then to take these bells from me." Taking two bells that were attached to red strings from his pockets. He waved the bells in front of them, which made a soft jingle.

"If you are unable to, you'll be tied up to these poles and watch me eat lunch."

At that moment, Sakura's stomach growled. But Kagome and Sasuke pretended that they didn't eat. So Sakura was the only one who obeyed Kakashi's order of not to eat breakfast. Too bad for her.

 _ **So that's why he told us not to have breakfast.**_ Kagome, Sasuke, and Sakura thought at the same time. It made perfect sense to them. Their sensei wanted to starve them in order to fight to get lunch. Even though they wouldn't have much energy. Luckily, Kagome and Sasuke had enough energy.

"Wait a minute, why are there two bells when there are three of us? How does that work for us?" Sakura asked, confused.

"That's because one of you will be tied to the post, meaning that you have failed the test." Kakashi said as he tossed the bells in the air.

"Unless you're prepared to kill me." Catching the bells in his hands.

"But Kakashi-sensei, our weapons could really hurt you badly!" Sakura said, worriedly. From anyone's point of view, they could easily tell that Sakura wasn't prepared to kill her sensei. Even though that she wanted to impress Sasuke with her skills.

"Hah."

Everyone turned towards the voice and saw Kagome with her eyes closed while she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Kakashi-sensei is a jounin, it would be impossible if _one_ genin could take him down. Especially a weak genin like YOU, Haruno-chan." Kagome said with one eye open. That grew a tick mark on the side of Sakura's head. Sasuke smirked at this. He was starting to like Kagome getting Sakura angry about her lack of skills.

"Listen here, you-" Sakura began to say in an angry tone.

"Alright, when I say 'start', come at me with everything you have." Kakashi said. Then everyone got into positions.

"Ready? On your mark, get set, GO!" Kakashi said. Everyone disappeared from his sight.

* * *

Kagome and Sasuke crouched down on the same tree branch, watching Kakashi in the distance. They didn't where Sakura was at the moment, but they had to figure out something. They didn't know what Kakashi's skills were, there had to be a way to find out.

"Kagome-chan, do you have a plan?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai, it might work. But if it doesn't, we'll have to think of another." Kagome said.

"So what do we do?" Sasuke asked.

"Observation." Kagome said.

"Observation?" Sasuke asked, brow arched.

"We have to see what he's capable of, after that we make another plan." Kagome said.

"Sounds good." Sasuke said.

"I'll go first, then come in when I stall him." Kagome said.

"Got it." Sasuke said, nodded.

"Then let's go." Kagome said, grinned. Sasuke grinned as well.

* * *

 _They're able to hide their presence very well. Impressive._ Kakashi thought. He was unable to hear or see them. Then he heard the rustle of leaves nearby. He looked to the side and saw Kagome leap from the trees, heading towards him. She raised her fist back, intending to punch him. He jumped out of the way before she could hit him. But what happened next surprised him: Kagome's punch made a big impact into the ground, a huge crater to be most precise.

 _ **W-What strength.**_ Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura thought at the same time with comically wide eyes. Then Kagome stood up and headed towards Kakashi once more. He blocked her attack and tried to attack her, but she blocked it. The both of them block each other's attacks. Kakashi then grabbed Kagome's fists, making her unable to free them. She smirked, which caught Kakashi off guard. Kagome pushed her legs up and slammed her feet into Kakashi's face, losing his grip on Kagome's fists. Suddenly, Sasuke appeared on Kakashi's left side and tried to kick him in the face, he jumped out of the way. Then Kagome and Sasuke attacked Kakashi at the same time. But Kakashi was able to block all of their attacks and they were able to block his attacks as well.

Kagome took out her chakra blades while Sasuke took out a kunai from his holster. Then they ran towards Kakashi. He took out two kunais out his holster as he ran towards the duo. Like before with their taijutsu, Kakashi was somehow to block their weapons. Not seeing any process with their weapons, they put away them. Unexpectedly, Sasuke disappeared from his sight. This confused Kakashi.

 _What are they doing?_ Kakashi thought, brow arched. Then he noticed that Kagome had taken out a few shuriken from her holster that rested on her pouch. She threw them towards him and performed a few hand signs.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Kagome said as the shuriken multiplied. Kakashi was going to dodge when he heard shuriken being thrown behind him. Then the shuriken hit him. But Kakashi went 'poof' and a log was left in his place. Substitution jutsu.

"He's quick I'll give him that." Kagome said, looking at the log that had shurikens impaled on it.

"Got another plan?" Sasuke asked when he jumped next to her.

"We have to trap the mouse." Kagome said.

"How?" Sasuke asked, brow arched.

"Here's what we'll do…" Kagome began to say.

* * *

Sakura was in an 'awe' state as she watched Sasuke and Kagome fight against Kakashi. She wanted to join in on the fight. She had no idea that the two could fight so well against their sensei. Then she remembered what the 'Sasuke Fan Club' reported once:

 _Sasuke must really want to be the best shinobi!_

 _He's always training with Ryouta and Kagome after school._

 _How can he get along with Ryouta? He's a Hyuuga! They're natural rivals!_

 _But why is he always training with Kagome?! Why can't he train with us?!_

Sakura had always wondered why Sasuke would always train with Kagome. It might be because he respects her in some way that involves hard work. Well, Kagome was always training and studying whenever Sakura saw her. There were a few times she saw Kagome feeding the stray animals that lived in the alleyways of Konoha and helped a woman at a grocery store. Also, getting a few books from the library. She was always working so hard to be recognized as a powerful kunoichi.

 _I spent most of my time studying and training instead of stalking a certain somebody._

Perhaps that is why Sasuke spends so much time training with Kagome and Ryouta Hyuuga as well. How can she help them with the test?

* * *

 _That technique. It looked familiar._ Kakashi thought as he sat on a tree branch. He was so far impressed with Kagome's and Sasuke's performance with their taijutsu and their weapons. But he was mostly intrigued with Kagome's weapon: chakra blades. There was only one person he knew who had that kind of weapon. Suddenly, glowing pink chains wrapped around Kakashi's body, trapping him against the tree. He tried to move his hands, but they wouldn't budge. Then Sasuke appeared before him. He calmly walked over to Kakashi and took the two bells from his belt. He smirked at Kakashi while holding the two bells that dangled between two of his fingers, making them jingle. To be most precise, he was mocking him.

"Got 'em." Sasuke said before he jumped down into the clearing below. Kakashi was able to lean a little bit and saw Kagome below doing a hand sign, one he didn't recognize. She grinned at him. He sighed. He forgot that Kagome had made a new jutsu that could detect someone and trap them. How come he didn't realize that sooner?

"Here, Kagome." Sasuke said, handing Kagome a bell. The chains disappeared as soon as Kagome separated her hands and took the bell that Sasuke gave her.

"Thanks, Sasuke." Kagome said when she received the bell. Then the clock rang noon. The test was over.

* * *

Sakura was tied to the pole while Sasuke sat on her right and Kagome sat on her left. She felt so pathetic right now. She couldn't believe that Kagome and Sasuke were able to get the bells from Kakashi-sensei. She had to admit that they had great team work. But how they couldn't include her on their plans?

"Well, I was very impressed with you two, Kagome, Sasuke. I have to admit, you're the first team who actually worked together to get the bells." Kakashi said, "except that Sakura didn't help out at all."

"Sorry about that. Sasuke and I have trained a lot, along with Ryouta, since we were in the academy. So we're used to each other. We don't really know Sakura well, so we didn't let her in on our plans." Kagome said.

"I see. But that still doesn't make up for the fact that you left one of your teammates out in the test." Kakashi said.

"Sorry, sensei." Kagome said. It was mostly her fault. She and Sasuke were so used to fighting back to back when they were training. They knew each other's fighting styles and weapon expertise. But with Sakura, they were at a complete lose.

"If we were on a mission, Sakura could have been killed by the enemy while you two were so focused on watching your backs." Kakashi said. Kagome and Sasuke looked away from Kakashi's gaze. It was true, Sakura would have been killed if they were on a mission. How could they have forgotten something so simple? Then Kakashi walked over to a stone that was in the shape of a kunai that had names engraved on it.

"Your life will always be on the line during missions. For example…" Kakashi began to say. Then he disappeared and immobilized Sasuke with a kunai at his throat.

"KAGOME, KILL SAKURA OR SASUKE DIES!"

Kagome and Sakura had looks of disbelief on their faces when they heard Kakashi's demand. Seeing that his point got across them. He put his kunai away and let Sasuke sit up. All of them let out a sigh of relief.

"There will be a time when one of your teammates is held hostage and you'll have to make a choice." Kakashi said as he walked to the stone and placed his hand on it.

"That's a memorial, right sensei?" Kagome asked.

"Hai, most of my friends names are on here." Kakashi said with sadness in his tone. Kagome couldn't help but feel sorry for Kakashi. She knew that he had probably lost a lot of precious comrades throughout his shinobi life. Not to mention his family as well.

Sasuke also felt sorry for his sensei. He knew what it was like to lose everyone who was precious to you. To Sasuke, he had lost his family and clan because of his older brother, Itachi. But it seemed that he lost more than just his family, he lost most of his comrades.

"I'll give you one last chance. I will give you three hours to catch the bells again. Eat lunch now. But on one condition: don't feed Sakura or you'll fail." Kakashi said. Before anything else could be said, Kakashi 'poofed' out of the clearing. Kagome and Sasuke looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders and opened their lunches. It had very delicious parts in it. Just when they were half way through with their lunch, Sakura's stomach growled. Kagome and Sasuke glanced at Sakura.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. You guys keep eating, gain your strength." Sakura said, smiling nervously. Her stomach growled again, only louder and she sighed. Then she saw Kagome holding a bite size of rice in front of her.

"Huh?" Sakura asked, blinking.

"You need your strength if you want to help us get the bells back, Haruno." Kagome said.

"But-" Sakura began to say.

"She's right. You'll slow us down if you don't have enough energy to go against Kakashi." Sasuke said. Sakura's eyes began to get all watery.

"Here." Kagome said.

"Thank you." Sakura said. Then she took the rice into her mouth. Suddenly, the sky darkened and lightning stroke across the sky. Kakashi appeared with a _very_ angry and dark face.

"YOU!" Kakashi said in a loud, but dark tone. Kagome and Sasuke quickly got to their feet and stood in front of Sakura.

"I hope you're ready for punishment! Any last words?" Kakashi asked.

"Do we pass?" Kagome asked. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura looked towards Kagome who was simply smiling at them.

"You already knew?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai!" Kagome said.

"I see, you pass." Kakashi said.

"But...how?" Sakura asked. Sasuke was wondering that as well.

"Those who don't follow the rules are scum, but...those who abandon their comrades are _worse_ than scum." Kagome said, "Right, sensei?"

"Hai and because of that, you all pass!" Kakashi said, his visible eye crinkled which looked like an upside down 'U'. Kagome and Sakura cheered while Sasuke smirked.

Kagome nearly forgot that rule. Like when you're in a pack, you protect one another whenever there's danger and you care for them as well. Her pack was just like that except for Inuyasha. He hardly cared about his pack. All he cared about was himself, the Shikon jewel shards, defeating Naraku, and his beloved Kikyō. In fact, Inuyasha wasn't much of a pack mate. Now that Kagome thought about, Inuyasha was worse than scum. Actually _far_ worse than scum.

"Hey, Kagome." Sakura said.

"Hai?" Kagome asked, breaking out of her thoughts.

"Could you get me out of these ropes?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, sure." Kagome said as she took out one of her chakra blades and slided off the ropes.

"Thanks." Sakura said as the ropes fell to the ground.

"No problem." Kagome said, putting her blade away. Then Sasuke walked over to Kagome.

"Hey Kagome-chan." Sasuke said, standing in front of Kagome.

"Hai?" Kagome asked.

"Can you train with me?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure." Kagome said, smiled. Sakura stared at the two with comically wide eyes. She couldn't believe it! Sasuke had just asked Kagome to go on a date with him!

* * *

 _Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success._

\- Henry Ford

* * *

 **A/N:**

Jutsu:

Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique


	6. Another Wind User

Chapter 6: Another Wind User

Asuma sat in the tea shop, enjoying his tea and dango. He was quite amazed with the genin team he was assigned to: the Ino-Shika-Cho group. It was a tradition of the genin's parents who made up that team. Since their parents were also a team when they were genin. It was quite a shock that they actually passed his test. He began to wonder if Kagome and Sasuke passed Kakashi's as well.

"Asuma."

"Hm?" Asuma asked as he looked over his shoulder and saw Kakashi standing behind him. He wondered why Kakashi seeked him out. If he was here, it must have meant that Kagome and Sasuke had passed Kakashi's test. But he had a gut feeling that Kakashi sought him out to talk about Kagome.

"I need to talk to you about something." Kakashi said.

"Kagome-chan, right?" Asuma asked. Kakashi nodded. Asuma inhaled his cigarette, took it from his lips, and let out the smoke through his lips. Then he placed the cigarette between his lips as Kakashi sat down in the seat across from him.

"Did you train Kagome-chan?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai." Asuma said.

"When and why?" Kakashi asked.

"When she was four. As for why..." Asuma said, "I was bored."

"You were bored?" Kakashi asked, brow arched. Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Sandaime Hokage, decided to train the four year old Kagome Uzumaki, the nine-tails jinchūriki, because he was bored?

"Hai. At first, she reminded of Obito." Asuma said, leaning his cheek against his knuckles.

"Obito?" Kakashi asked, shocked. How does Kagome remind Asuma of Obito?

"Her ambition to get stronger. Kinda like Obito when he was determined to beat you." Asuma said.

"Yeah." Kakashi said. He smiled softly underneath his mask as he thought back on those days. Obito kept promising him that he will defeat him one day. Guy was also promising the same thing as well. But as always he defeated the both of them and they would promise that they'll get him next time.

"Kagome began to amaze me with her skills and knowledge." Asuma said.

"I bet she did." Kakashi said. He had to agree with Asuma on that. That girl was full of surprises.

"Kagome-chan is also the reason why I became a jounin sensei." Asuma said.

"Really?" Kakashi asked, curious.

"Hai. I began to enjoy teaching her my techniques and playing shōgi with her." Asuma said, "Then I realized that I wanted to become a jounin sensei."

"Shōgi?" Kakashi asked, head tilted to the side. He knew that Asuma often played shōgi with his father. He had no idea that Kagome was able to play shōgi.

"She won the first time we met." Asuma said, chuckling.

"You lost to a four year old girl?" Kakashi asked, brow arched.

"Embarrassing as it sounds." Asuma said, scratching the back of his head.

"How did you meet Kagome-chan anyway?" Kakashi asked. He was curious to how Asuma met Kagome.

"I met her when I was training with my chakra blades." Asuma said. He remembered the day when he first met Kagome Uzumaki.

* * *

8 years ago:

Asuma Sarutobi was bored as he practiced with his chakra blades. He was already an expert with them. He wished for a challenge for once. He sighed at the thought. There was hardly anyone who wanted to challenge him these days. Most of his comrades were out on missions or have different jobs now. He wished that Kakashi was still around, he would accept his challenge. Even though, he always accepts Guy's challenges. But Kakashi was busy in the ANBU. Asuma knew the full reason why Kakashi joined the ANBU. There maybe a day when Kakashi will leave the ANBU.

Then he heard something move in the bushes nearby and quickly threw his chakra blade towards the bushes. He heard someone panic behind the bushes. The bushes moved aside to reveal a little girl with a puppy by her side. The puppy looked almost a year old. It had white fur with a hazel colored spot on its back and head. The puppy also had brown colored eyes. The girl looked about four or five years old. She had yellow colored hair that stopped just before the shoulders and sapphire blue eyes with whisker marks on both sides of her cheeks. Asuma recognized her. Kagome Uzumaki the nine tails jinchūriki. He wondered why she was all the way out here in the training grounds.

"Sorry to disrupt your training, sir." Kagome said, bowing at the waist.

"It's okay. But what are you doing out here? These are the training ground for ninjas." Asuma said.

"Oh, I'm sorry once more. I was trying to get away." Kagome said.

"Get away?" Asuma asked, brow arched. Kagome scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Well, I was being chased by some civilian boys after they found out that I pranked them last week." Kagome said.

"How did you prank them?" Asuma asked, curious.

"Do you remember those group of boys who were chased by bees last week?" Kagome asked.

"Hai, they were running all around Konoha until they couldn't run anymore." Asuma said, recalling that incident. The boys were chased throughout all of the streets and were covered from head to toe with bee stings.

"Well, that was my doing." Kagome said with her hands behind her back.

"Really?! That was you?!" Asuma exclaimed.

"Hai. I threw balls filled with pollen at them." Kagome said.

"Pollen?" Asuma asked, brow arched.

"It's what attracts bees." Kagome said.

"I see." Asuma said, rubbing his chin.

"Please don't tell anyone what I did!" Kagome said, panicking.

"Don't worry, I won't." Asuma said, smiling at Kagome who smiled in return. He already liked this girl. Those civilian boys must have done something to her in order for her to prank them. The prank she pulled on them was definitely a good one.

"By the way, who are you?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, I'm Asuma Sarutobi." Asuma said.

"It's nice to meet you, Sarutobi-san. I'm Kagome Uzumaki." Kagome said, holding her hand out to him. Asuma took a few steps towards her and held onto her hand, shaking it.

"And this little fellow is Aki." Kagome said when puppy sat near her legs and barked happily at her.

"It's nice to meet you too, Kagome-chan, Aki-kun." Asuma said, releasing her hand.

"Oh, does this belong to you, Sarutobi-san?" Kagome asked, holding out one of his chakra blades in her hands.

"Hai." Asuma said as she handed the blade to him.

"That's a chakra blade, right?" Kagome asked, pointing at the blade, which looked like a trench knife almost.

"Hai. They're quite hard to master though." Asuma said.

"Really? How so?" Kagome asked.

"They're made of a special type of metal that can be infused with "chakra flow" with elemental chakra or Yin-yang chakra to produce added effects." Asuma said.

"So they're able to absorb the chakra type of the user, right?" Kagome asked. Asuma's eyes widened. He was surprised that the girl already knew what a chakra blade was. Well, she did ask him if it was a chakra blade. How much does this little girl know about shinobi?

"Hai. But I use them for my wind chakra." Asuma said, changing the subject.

"Wind chakra? So that means that you're a wind user, Sarutobi-san?" Kagome asked, pointing at Asuma. He nodded once more. He was still surprised that Kagome knew different kinds of chakra.

"I wish I knew what my elemental chakra is." Kagome said, looking at the ground.

"There is a way." Asuma said as he put away his chakra blades.

"Really?" Kagome asked, excited.

"Hai. There is a type of paper made from a special tree that's grown and fed with chakra. When the paper is exposed to the smallest amount of chakra, it will react according to the chakra's latent nature." Asuma said.

"How will it react?" Kagome asked, curious about this 'paper'.

"If you're a fire user, the paper will ignite and turn to ash. Wind, the paper will split in two. Lightning, the paper will wrinkle. Earth, the paper will turn to dirt and crumble. Water, the paper will get damp." Asuma said.

"Cool!" Kagome said with excitement. But then a look of realization appeared on her face.

"Where am I going to find that kind of paper? Kagome asked.

"Only a jounin sensei can get them for their genin team when they're going to develop their own nature transformations." Asuma said with his hands in his pockets. Kagome sighed as she slumped her head onto her chest. Her puppy whined as if he was agreeing with her.

"So much for that idea." Kagome muttered.

"Why do you want to know what your elemental chakra is?" Asuma asked in a curious tone with an arched brow. Kagome was silent at that moment. Her head was down with her bangs covering her eyes. At the same time, she was clenching her fists.

"I don't want to be seen as weak. Someday, I want everyone to recognize me as one of the strongest and greatest kunoichi that Konoha has ever seen!" Kagome said, raising her fist in front of her. Asuma could easily see the determination and fire in Kagome's sapphire blue eyes. He knew that Kagome hated being treated as monster. She wanted to be seen as a strong kunoichi. For a strange moment there, he saw Obito Uchiha's face overlap Kagome's. He remembered the days when Obito would tell Kakashi that he'll be a stronger and better shinobi than him. Guy was very much the same. He closed his eyes and gave a small chuckle.

"Sarutobi-san?" Kagome asked, breaking Asuma out of his thoughts as he opened his eyes and looked at Kagome's face.

"I'll get you that paper." Asuma said.

"Really?" Kagome asked.

"Hai." Asuma said, nodded.

"But even if I find out what my elemental chakra is, will someone who has the same one as me train me?" Kagome asked.

"We'll see after we find out, Kagome-chan." Asuma said.

"Thank you so much, Sarutobi-san!" Kagome said.

"You're welcome, Kagome-chan." Asuma said.

* * *

The next day:

"Concentrate your chakra on the paper." Asuma said. Kagome nodded and focused her chakra on the paper. Then she heard the sound of ripping paper. She opened her eyes and saw the condition of the paper: it was split in half.

"Your elemental chakra is wind, Kagome-chan." Asuma said, smiling at the result.

"Sugoi." Kagome said, amazed.

"That also means you're my student." Asuma said.

"Really?! You're willing to train me?!" Kagome asked, excitedly.

"Hai." Asuma said, "But before we start training, you have to beat me at a game of shōgi."

"Shōgi?" Kagome asked, blinked. She used to play shōgi with her grandfather all the time when she was little. She did play against him between breaks during her jewel hunting days. She enjoyed those moments.

"I would like to test your level of intelligence." Asuma said.

"Why?" Kagome asked, confused with her brow arched.

"It will prove to me how serious you are to train with me." Asuma said.

"Okay, you're on!" Kagome said, pointing at Asuma with ambition. Asuma smirked at her confidence.

After two hours of playing shōgi, Kagome finally beat Asuma. He was very surprised that Kagome was able to beat him. In a game of shōgi none the less. This girl was really starting to surprise him alot. Training with her was going to be very interesting.

"So what do you think, Sarutobi-san?" Kagome asked.

"Asuma-sensei." Asuma said.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, confused.

"You are to call Asuma-sensei from now on." Asuma said, smiling.

"Hai!" Kagome said with a smile.

* * *

"So that's when you decided to train her?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai, I really enjoyed the experience. Well, now you're her sensei. So I have to hand the job over to you." Asuma said.

"Thanks, but you're more than welcome to train her whenever you want." Kakashi said.

"Thanks, Kakashi." Asuma said.

"No problem." Kakashi said, "Well, I got to go now. I'll see you around."

Kakashi got up from his chair and pushed it back towards the table. He turned around and was just about to walk away.

"Kakashi." Asuma said. Kakashi stopped in his footsteps and looked over his shoulder.

"Do you think that Kagome will become a great kunoichi?"

"Hai, she's on her way there." Kakashi said.

"I think so, too." Asuma said with a closed eye smile.

* * *

 _Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got to keep going._

 _-_ Chantal Sutherland


	7. Date

Chapter 7: Date

After the test was over, Kagome and Sasuke went to train for a few hours. After that, the two went their separate ways home. Then Kagome went shopping for ingredients for her dinner tonight. When Kagome got all of the ingredients, she headed towards her apartment. On the way, she noticed Shikamaru walking along the road.

"Shikamaru!" Kagome shouted. Shikamaru stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder to see Kagome waving at him.

"Kagome." Shikamaru said as she ran up to him.

"Where are you headed?" Kagome asked when she stood in front of him.

"I was just leaving the hill where I cloud watch. So now I'm bored and decided to walk around." Shikamaru said.

"I see." Kagome said, "Hey, would you like to have dinner with me?"

"Uh...sure." Shikamaru said nervously while pink dusted his cheeks.

"Great! Follow me then." Kagome said as she walked past him while grabbing his hand. Shikamaru started to blush even harder as Kagome held his hand. For some strange reason, he felt warm inside as she held his hand.

 _Her hands are warm...and soft._ Shikamaru thought.

* * *

Kagome entered the apartment with Shikamaru behind her. This wouldn't be the first time that Shikamaru has been to her apartment. He often came here when he was bored or if he was in the neighborhood. She placed the groceries on the table and instantly began to work on preparing. She took out a pot and boiled the water. Then she placed the spaghetti into the water, letting it cook for five minutes. After that was done, she reserved in ¾ cup of the pasta water and drained it. While at the same time, she heated oil on medium heat and added the pieces of bacon on it.

"Do you want help, Kagome?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, it's okay. I'll be done in less than ten minutes." Kagome said.

"Alright." Shikamaru said. He was always amazed that Kagome knew how to cook such great tasting meals. He wondered who she learned it from. It was probably one of the civilians she was friends with or possibly his mom. He heard a 'meow' sound at his feet and saw Kirara sitting on the floor in front of him. She jumped up and sat on his shoulder and rubbed her cheek against his. He had always liked Kirara's company. He scratched behind her ears which made her purr loudly.

"Actually, could you get the plates and utensils out for me?" Kagome asked.

"Sure." Shikamaru said. He walked over to the cabinets and took out the plates and then the drawers where the utensils were. By the time he set the table, Kagome was finished making the meal. She got out a hot pad for the pot.

"So what did you make, Kagome?" Shikamaru asked, curious.

"Tomato Bacon Pasta." Kagome said.

"Sounds good." Shikamaru said with a small smile. Kirara jumped off from his shoulder as he noticed that Kagome had put a certain portion of the food on their plates. Then they sat down across from each other. They put their hands in prayer form.

" **Thanks for the meal.** "

The meal was partly quiet between the two. Well, there was three of them which included Kirara was eating the same thing as them while sitting at the end of the table. Shikamaru liked the quietness, but he wanted to hear Kagome's voice. Somehow, he liked listening to Kagome's voice. It was kind and soothing. But only when she's angry it can sound boiling and hot. It can be cold and dark as well. Sometimes Kagome was worse that his mom.

"So are you excited for your mission tomorrow?" Kagome asked. Her voice broke Shikamaru out of his thoughts, which he was glad of. Thankfully, he got to hear her voice.

"Somewhat. But I wonder what kind of mission we'll have though. Troublesome." Shikamaru said, before taking a bite of the pasta. The tomato, bacon, and pasta went great together. The parmesan and black pepper made a great combo with the pasta and bacon.

"My team and I will be having D-rank missions for a while. Hopeful we might get a C-rank later on as well." Kagome said, sighed.

"You can only hope." Shikamaru said, taking another bite of the pasta. He was glad to spend dinner time with Kagome.

* * *

When the meal was done, Kagome was putting away the leftovers and Shikamaru decided to do the dishes for her. Kirara went into Kagome's room to take a nap on her bed.

"Thanks for helping me with the dishes, Shikamaru." Kagome said.

"It's the least I can do." Shikamaru said, focusing on his task. Unnoticed, a small puddle of water began to form near his feet. When the last dish was put away, Kagome turned towards Shikamaru and took a step towards him, only to slide backwards. At the last second, Shikamaru caught her wrist. But only to fall to the floor with her.

"Ow." Kagome groaned.

"Ugh." Shikamaru groaned.

"Are you okay, Shikamaru?" Kagome asked as she looked up. Then she froze at that moment. Shikamaru was hovering over her. She could feel his breath against her lips. Her cheeks were turning red as Shikamaru stared at her. For some strange reason, she couldn't move.

"A-Are you okay, Kagome?" Shikamaru asked, nervously as his cheeks were starting to turn red. He has never been this close to Kagome before. Actually, he's never been this close to a girl before. Her breath was brushing against his lips. It would only take a small movement to connect his lips with hers. But for some strange reason, he couldn't move.

"H-Hai." Kagome stuttered. Her voice suddenly gave him the will to move. Pushing his weight off of his hands, only to fall forward because of his left knee slid. The next thing that Shikamaru knew was that his lips were pressed against Kagome's.

Kagome's lips...

were against...

his lips...

Kagome and Shikamaru were unable move at that moment. They stared at each other with wide eyes as their lips were locked together. Then they slowly released each other's lips. An awkward silence came between the two and they quickly moved and turned away from each other.

 _I kissed Shikamaru!_ Kagome thought as she covered her mouth with both of her hands.

 _I kissed Kagome!_ Shikamaru thought as he covered his mouth with his hand.

The both of them were blushing really hard at what had just happened between them. They were too embarrassed to turn around to face each other. Kagome and Shikamaru were having a hard time trying to process the whole incident. After all, neither of them would have thought that they would kiss each other. Even though it was an accident.

"Um, would like some of my green tea cookies, S-Shikamaru?" Kagome asked, nervously, breaking the silence.

"H-Hai." Shikamaru said, nervously. He quickly got up, turned around, and held out his hand to Kagome. She looked at him and then his hand. Kagome placed her hand in his and he held onto it as he pulled her to her feet. Then they both turned away from each other once more. Kagome went over to the cabinet and took a towel to clean up the water.

"I'll do it." Shikamaru said, taking the towel from her hand and began to wipe up the water.

"Oh, thank you." Kagome said.

"Don't mention. I didn't notice that the sink water was dripping onto the floor." Shikamaru said.

"I admit that I didn't notice either." Kagome said. Then she went to the other cabinet to take out the green tea cookies she made yesterday. She also grabbed two glasses and placed the cookies and glasses on the table.

"Shikamaru, could you get the milk out please?" Kagome asked.

"Sure." Shikamaru said as he got up from wiping away the water from the floor. He walked over the fridge and took out the carton of milk. He placed the milk next the glasses.

"Thanks. Would you like milk with the cookies?" Kagome asked, smiling.

"That would be great." Shikamaru said with a small smile. He was glad that the awkwardness between them seemed to be gone, for the moment at least. He sat down as Kagome poured the milk into the glasses. Then she slid the glass towards him and held out the plate of cookies to him. After he took three of them, she took three as well. She placed the plate in the middle of the table and sat across from him. There was a silence between them again as they ate the cookies and drank the milk.

* * *

Soon after they finished having their portion of the cookies and milk, Shikamaru decided that he should head home. He knew that his mom will not be that happy that he came home late. Maybe if he explained that he was at Kagome's he might not feel her wrath for long.

"Well, I better get going." Shikamaru said as he stood up.

"Oh." Kagome said, looking up at the clock, "Your mom."

"Yeah, I might not get punished if I explained to her of where I was." Shikamaru said.

"Even if there is a slight chance that she might not kill you?" Kagome asked, grinning with her brow arched.

"Hai. But you never know." Shikamaru said, shrugged.

"I suppose." Kagome said. Then she got up and followed Shikamaru to the door. The night air was still warm. The stars were about to come out now. Shikamaru walked out the door and turned around to face Kagome.

"Thank you for dinner, Kagome." Shikamaru said.

"You're welcome, Shikamaru. I'm glad that you enjoyed it." Kagome said.

"Hai, I did." Shikamaru said, "Well, good night, Kagome."

"Good night, Shikamaru." Kagome said. Then she started to close the door.

"By the way, Kagome." Shikamaru said.

"Hai?" Kagome asked before she fully closed the door.

"Dinner was great and your cookies were really good as well." Shikamaru said, smiling a little.

"Thank you, Shikamaru." Kagome said, smiling.

"Well, uh, good night, Kagome." Shikamaru said with a small blush, before he turned away and began walking away into the night.

"Good night, Shikamaru." Kagome said, slightly blushing, before she closed the door.

* * *

 _A man snatches the first kiss, pleads for the second, demands the third, takes the fourth, accepts the fifth - and endures all the rest._

 _-_ Helen Rowland


	8. The Rude Client

Chapter 8: The Rude Client

Today's D-Rank mission: find lost pet, Tora. Team 7 was not happy about this mission. So far, they've been doing these boring missions from pulling weeds to walking dogs. Kagome knew that they were genin now, so they have to do D-rank missions for a while. But Team 7 were starting to get angry at the Sandaime for giving them so many of these missions. It was just a matter of time until they argued to get a C-rank mission or above. Was asking for a better mission too much to ask for?!

* * *

"Sasuke, Point C."

"Sakura, Point A."

"Kagome, Point B."

"Sakura, you're a little bit slow."

"Kakashi-sensei, how far are we from the target?"

"Not that far. You should be able to see it."

Everyone waited for their target to move and for Kakashi-sensei's signal. Kagome caught sight of their target: a cat.

"Now!"

Kagome, Sasuke, and Sakura ran after the running target. But Kagome went ahead them and stopped the cat in its tracks. Before it could try to run the other way, Kagome quickly grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and held the reluctant cat against her chest. Then she started purring. Soon enough, the cat calmed down and started to cuddle against her chest. Kagome gently scratched behind the cat's ears. The cat started to purr very loudly. Sasuke and Sakura appeared in front of Kagome.

"How did you…" Sakura began to say as she pointed at the cat.

"That's my little secret." Kagome said with a closed eye smile while scratching the cat's ears. The cat meowed as Kagome began to scratch its chin.

"Before you two get more comfortable, do you have positive ID?" Kakashi asked through the microphone.

"Hai, there's a bow on its left ear." Sasuke said when he spotted the bow on the cat's ear.

"Well done. Lost pet, Tora, has been found." Kakashi said.

* * *

"I can see _why_ the cat wanted to run away." Kagome whispered to Sasuke.

"Hn." Sasuke whispered back. Kirara 'mew' in agreement. They sweatdropped as they watched the cat's owner hugging it. Suffocating is a better word for it. They couldn't help but feel sorry for the cat. Then the lady paid the Sandaime and left the room. When the Sandaime announced more D-rank missions, Kagome couldn't take it anymore.

"Sandaime-sama." Kagome said.

"Hm?" Sarutobi asked.

"If it's not too much trouble, could we _please_ ask for a higher rank mission? No offense, but I'm really starting to hate these kind of missions." Kagome said, "Actually _we_ all are."

"Kagome-chan, you're all still genin! You have no experience in taking on higher rank missions! So you have to do D-ranks for now!" Iruka said with a tick mark on the side of his head. Kagome knew that they would be taking these kinds of missions for a while. But how _long_ will they have to wait in order to get a higher rank?

"We're not exactly gaining any experience by taking on these D-rank missions, Iruka-sensei." Kagome said.

"I fully agreed with Kagome." Sasuke said as he raised his left palm up.

"I have to agree as well." Sakura said. She was only saying that since she _really_ was starting to hate these missions.

Sarutobi sighed. He could easily tell that Team 7 was getting tired of D-rank missions and wanted a better one. He knew that Kagome and Sasuke were stronger than most of genin at their age. But it looked like Sakura still needed experience. He glanced at Kakashi and could see that he wanted to complain as well. But decided to stay silent.

"Very well. I shall give you a C-rank mission." Sarutobi said. Team 7 brightened at the announcement of a C-rank mission.

"You'll be bodyguards on this mission."

"So who are we guarding?" Kagome asked.

"Send him in." Sarutobi said. The door opened and a old man who looked drunk appeared. You could easily tell by the pink color across the nose area and the bottle of sake in his left hand.

"So these are my bodyguards?" The drunk man asked after he chugged down the last contents of his bottle of sake, "A bunch of snot-nosed kids?"

Unfortunately, that grew a tick mark on Kagome's and Kirara's head. They already hated their new client.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, pointing at the drunk man.

"I'm Tazuna, a bridge builder. You'll have to escort me back to my home with the cost of your lives." Tazuna said.

"No problem." Kagome said. Tazuna turned towards Kagome and scoffed.

"I'm not all that sure that I can trust my life with these brats." Tazuna said. That gained another tick mark on the side of Kagome's head.

"Say one more insult and I'll make sure to beat the life of whatever you have left." Kagome said, raising her fist in front of her.

"Like I should be afraid of a little girl like you." Tazuna said.

"Oh, you will be." Kagome said, narrowing her eyes at the old man.

* * *

Team 7 stood at the gate to the village. Sasuke and Sakura were excited yet nervous about leaving the village for the first time. Kagome and Kirara were also excited about this mission. She felt like she was going to the feudal era once more. Then she felt two auras nearby.

 _Enemies? Already? Are they after us?_ Kagome thought. For some strange reason, it looked like these two were waiting for them to come out. But who are they after? Was it them or maybe...

"So, are we all set?" Kakashi asked, breaking Kagome out of her thoughts.

"Ready when you are, Kakashi-sensei." Kagome said, smiling.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, are there any shinobi in the Country of Waves?" Sakura asked as she walked beside Kakashi and Tazuna with Kagome and Sasuke in front of them.

"No, there aren't. This is a C-rank mission. There will be no battles." Kakashi said. Sakura sighed in relief. She was glad that she didn't have to fight. She looked ahead and saw Sasuke walking along side Kagome. She couldn't understand why Sasuke would spend more time with Kagome than of his own team. But then she remembered the reason why he would. She was surprised that he had asked Kagome to go on a date with him. Sakura was starting to wonder how the date went.

Kagome felt Tazuna's aura change when Kakashi-sensei had mentioned that there would be no battles on this mission. She had a feeling that the bridge builder was hiding something. Did it involve the two auras that had been following them since they left the village? At the corner of her eye, she noticed a puddle on the side of the road.

 _A puddle? There shouldn't be one here. It hasn't rained in days._ Kagome thought when she looked up at the sky. Then she concentrated on the two auras that were nearby.

 _So they're waiting for an attack._ Kagome thought. Suddenly, two long metal chains were wrapped around Kakashi. Then they were yanked and Kakashi was in pieces.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura screamed. Everyone watched with wide eyes when Kakashi was torn to shreds. Kagome sensed one of the auras coming towards her. She quickly placed a barrier around herself before the ninja could attack her. Then she grabbed the end of the chain and swung the ninja into the tree. She sensed the other aura behind her. Before she could attack, Sasuke went behind her and attacked the other ninja. She turned her head and saw Sakura standing in front of Tazuna with a kunai in hand as one of the ninjas headed towards them. Kagome and Sasuke quickly got in front of them with a weapon at hand.

Unexpectedly, the ninja was caught in a headlock. The one who caught them was someone who they thought was dead a minute ago.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're alive!" Sakura said with tears of relief in the corner of her eyes.

"Yo." Kakashi said as the two ninjas struggled in his strong hold.

"Substitution, right?" Kagome asked.

"Good guess, Kagome-chan. Great job to you three." Kakashi said.

* * *

Kakashi was tying the two ninjas to a tree as his team and Tazuna watched.

"How did you that we were following you?" One of the ninjas asked.

"You two are complete idiots." Kagome said. Everyone turned towards her.

"There was a rain puddle on the side of the road. It hasn't rained in days and it's sunny out. So a puddle shouldn't even be there."

"Correct, Kagome-chan." Kakashi said.

"If you knew that then why did you let these kids fight?" Tazuna asked.

"They were after you, Tazuna." Kagome said. Everyone turned to Kagome once more.

"I sensed two people outside of the gate before we left. These two are chunin from the Hidden Mist Village. If they were really after us, they would have attacked all of us at once. But instead they distracted one of us and headed towards Tazuna."

"Great speculation, Kagome-chan." Kakashi said, "I believe she's right, Tazuna-san."

"This is a B-rank mission, right Kakashi-sensei?" Kagome asked.

"What?" Sakura asked, blinked in confusion.

"Hai. Genin aren't suppose to risk their lives on C-ranks." Kakashi said. Tazuna looked away from Kakashi.

"I'm sorry." Tazuna said as he stared into the ground. Everyone was quiet at that moment. They couldn't believe that Tazuna had lied to them. But why would he do such a thing?

"Kagome, you're bleeding." Kakashi said, looking at her left hand. Kagome glanced down and saw a cut on the back of her hand. How come she didn't notice before?

"Those claws had poison on them, Kagome. You better not move for a while." Kakashi said.

"This mission is too advanced for us. We should head back and find a doctor for Kagome to get the poison out." Sakura said.

"No, let's continue the mission." Kagome said.

"But Kagome, you have poison in your wound and we don't have anesthesia to get it out!" Sakura said, panicking.

"There's no need for that." Kagome said as she placed her hand on her wound and a pink glow surrounded her hands. Then it diminished. Kagome knelt down and took out her canteen a water and a cloth from her bag and wiped the blood away. There was no evidence of a wound on her hand.

"There, let's go now." Kagome said as she turned around and walked down the road.

* * *

After an hour or two of walking, Team 7 and Tazuna sat in a boat that was taking them across the river. Then the row man cut off the engine and started rowing with an oar. Kagome could see something emerging from the fog.

"Is that-?" Kagome began to say.

"That's the bridge that's under construction." Tazuna said.

"Wow." Kagome said.

"Tazuna, before we get to the pier, there's something I want to ask you." Kakashi said, "Who is after you and why? If you refuse to tell us, we will abandon the mission as soon as we port."

Tazuna sighed. He had a feeling that they wouldn't trust him very well after the two ninjas from before.

"It's Gatō, is it not?" Kagome asked, "Gatō the marine transportation billionaire?"

"Hai. Gatō is one of the richest men in the world. On the outside, he's the president of a marine transportation company...but on the inside, he uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and illegal goods. He does horrible things like taking over countries and companies as well. Around a year ago, he set his sights on the Country of Waves and entered it with violence and wealth as his shield, which he quickly took over the sea traffic and transportation." Tazuna paused before continuing, "An island like our own, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, the politics, and the people of this island. The one thing that Gatō is terrified of is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction for quite awhile now."

"That's why he fears you? Because you're a bridge builder?" Sakura asked.

"Those ninjas from before were hired by Gatō, right?" Sasuke asked. Tazuna nodded.

"There's one thing that I don't understand." Kakashi said, "Now we know that he's a dangerous man who uses ninjas. Then why did you hide that fact when you came to us for help?"

"Financial problems." Kagome said. Everyone looked at Kagome.

"Hai. It's because we're a poor country that we couldn't afford to pay for a B-rank mission or above." Tazuna said, "I apologize greatly for not telling you this."

"Because if you told us, we wouldn't have taken the mission, right?" Kagome asked.

"Hai." Tazuna said, nodded.

"Don't worry, Tazuna-san, we'll continue the mission, right Kakashi-sensei?" Kagome asked, turning towards her sensei.

"I suppose so." Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask.

"Thank you." Tazuna said with a small bow of the head.

"Let's get you home safely, Tazuna-san." Kagome said, smiling at Tazuna.

* * *

They walked through the forest after leaving the pier. The boat man wished them all good luck. But Kagome knew that their luck could only last for so long. For some strange reason, Kagome felt an aura following them. It felt like a repeat of the two ninjas from before. Suddenly, she heard rustling in the bushes and threw her kunai towards it.

"What the heck, Kagome?! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Sakura yelled. Kagome ignored her and walked towards the bushes. She pushed them aside and found a white rabbit that looked like it had a heart attack. She gently lifted the rabbit in her arms, comforting it from its trauma. Then Kagome noticed something strange about the rabbit.

 _This is a snow rabbit. Why is its fur white? Their fur only turns white in the winter. That means-_ Kagome didn't finish her thought when she heard a twig snap.

"GET DOWN!"

Kakashi pushed Tazuna to the ground as Kagome, Sasuke, and Sakura dropped to the ground as a huge blade flew over their heads, intending on decapitating them, and lodged itself onto a tree trunk. Then a figure appeared on the blade's hilt. It was a male, probably around Kakashi's age. The male had short spiky hair, brown eyes, and the bottom half of his face was covered by bandages. He was shirtless with two belts that formed an 'X' shape on the front of his chest and on his back. He wore matching cameo arm warmers that went from his wrist to his elbow and leg warmers along with baggy pants with pinstriped pattern and black ninja shoes. Lastly, he wore a hitai-ate with the symbol of the Hidden Village of the Mist on it which was slanted sideways on his head.

"Well, if it isn't Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi said.

* * *

 _A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes._

 _-_ Charles Spurgeon


	9. The Silent Killer

Chapter 9: The Silent Killer

"Momochi Zabuza?" Sakura asked, blinked.

"A former member the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist squad." Kagome said, "He's in the bingo book and Kakashi-sensei as well."

"It looks like one of your brats is well informed." Zabuza said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Kagome said, smirking. Sasuke and Sakura were surprised to find out that their sensei was in the Bingo book. But how is he a security threat to other villages?

"If he's our opponent, then I guess I have no other choice but to use this." Kakashi said as he lifted his headband to reveal the Sharingan in his left eye.

"I see. You must be Kakashi of the Sharingan." Zabuza said. Sasuke stiffened when Zabuza mention 'Sharingan'. After all, the Sharingan belongs to the Uchiha clan. It would be weird if a non-Uchiha had the Sharingan.

"You presumed correct." Kakashi said.

"Let's cut to the chase. Hand over the old man and let you all live." Zabuza said.

"Sorry, but he's under our protection." Kagome said.

"Very well." Zabuza said. He jumped off of his blade and stood on top of the water. Then he performed hand signs.

"Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu."

All of a sudden a mist soon surrounded the area and made Zabuza fade into it.

"Everyone, manji formation! Protect Tazuna-san!" Kakashi said. Everyone formed a circle around Tazuna. Then Kakashi slowly faded into the mist.

"Kagome, what is this technique?" Sasuke asked.

"It's called 'The Silent Killing Technique'. It's a simple quiet technique to killing an opponent. The user is so silent that it's too late to realize you're dead." Kagome said. Sakura gulped at the new information. Sasuke was slightly trembling on the hold of his kunai. Tazuna was also feeling uneasy in this mist covered field. It felt like minutes went by then hours. This silence was really putting everyone on edge. After all, this was their first mission outside of the village and they didn't want to die!

"8 parts." Zabuza's voice echoed all around them. Everyone flinched at it.

"Legs...spine...kidney...artery...lungs...liver...jugular...heart." Zabuza said, "Which one should I strike first?"

Sakura and Sasuke felt a shiver go down their spines. The only one who wasn't affected by Zabuza's threats was Kagome. She had heard worse. Naraku was a better at taunting than Zabuza was. Then Kakashi appeared in front of them with a hand seal and blew some of the mist away from them in order to see each other.

"Don't worry, everyone. I won't let any of you die." Kakashi said, looking over his shoulder with a closed eye smile. Somehow, that seemed to make everyone less tense at the situation they're facing.

"I wouldn't be too sure, Kakashi."

Zabuza soon appeared in the middle of their manji formation. Then Zabuza swung his sword towards Tazuna. But at the last second. Kagome blocked the attack with her chakra blades.

"I won't let you harm Tazuna." Kagome said, pushing against Zabuza's blade.

"Interesting." Zabuza said. With one powerful shove, Zabuza was pushed out of their manji formation.

"Thanks, Kagome-chan. But I'll handle the rest." Kakashi said, standing beside Kagome.

"Hai." Kagome said, nodded. Suddenly, Zabuza was behind Kagome. Before he could land a hit on her, she stabbed him in the stomach. Instead of blood coming, water leaked out. Then Zabuza's form fell into a water puddle. Water Clone Technique. He reappeared again in front of Kagome. But Kakashi stood in front of her as well and the two were sliced in half. It turned out to be a water clone technique. Zabuza felt a kunai and a chakra blade near his neck.

" **It's over.** " Kagome and Kakashi said. Then Zabuza began to laugh. It began to make them uneasy.

"Unfortunately for you two, it's _not_." Zabuza said. Kakashi quickly shoved Kagome out of the way and was pushed into the lake. When he resurfaced from the water, he noticed something strange about the water. Suddenly, Zabuza was in front of him.

"Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu!" Zabuza shouted. Water spun around him and trapped in a water sphere.

 _Shoot! I can't get free!_ Kakashi thought. He couldn't move. He was truly helpless right now.

"It's no use. This water is stronger than steel." Zabuza said. Kakashi cursed. He was unable to help his team. Then he felt an arm wrap around his waist and was no longer was surrounded by water. He looked up and saw Zabuza staring at an empty water sphere that once had him inside of it.

"Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked over his shoulder and saw Kagome looking at him with worry. Then he glanced down and saw her arm wrapped around his waist.

"Hai." Kakashi said, nodded.

"Good." Kagome said as she released her arm from his waist and stood up. Then he noticed a weapon near her left foot. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the weapon.

 _That's-!_ Kakashi thought when he noticed the three pronged kunai with a jutsu-shiki on it. There was only one person who was able to use that technique. Someone who was a great leader in Konoha. The one who sacrificed his life for the village. The person also happened to be Kakashi's beloved late sensei.

 _How does Kagome know about it?_ Kakashi asked, looking back up at her.

"How did you-?!" Zabuza exclaimed when he saw Kakashi sitting on the ground near his team. How on earth was he able to escape the water dome?!

"Sorry, you don't deserve the answer to that." Kagome said, smirking at Zabuza's raging face.

"I'll have to admit that was a smart move. But I'm not finished yet." Zabuza said as he took out his blade.

"I was about to say the same thing." Kagome said, readying her blades. Then the two sped towards each other and clashed each other's' blades. Kakashi and the others were shocked to see that Kagome was able to go against Zabuza in equal strength. They watched the two clashing their blades while both of them earned cuts from the wielding weapons. During the whole battle, Kagome sensed someone hiding amongst the trees. But she couldn't really question it since she was busy fighting Zabuza.

"I'll have to admit that you're quite strong for a girl your age." Zabuza said, pushing his blade against her blades.

"Why thank you." Kagome said.

"But how about we kick it up a notch?" Zabuza asked, smirking underneath his mask.

"Sure thing." Kagome said, smirking as well. They jumped away from each other and put their blades away. Zabuza performed hand signs.

 _A water technique_. Kagome thought, recognizing the signs.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" Zabuza shouted as a dragon of water raised up from the water and headed towards Kagome who was also performing a quick hand signs.

"Suiton: Mizurappa!" Kagome shouted. Then a large jet of water came out of her mouth and through her hand. The attack destroyed the water dragon and shoved Zabuza against the tree and he slid onto the ground. It felt like the wind just got knocked out of him. He never expected the girl in front of him would be able to perform such a powerful water technique. After all, that was a jounin level technique she had just performed. Then he sensed someone above him and his eyes widened when he saw Kakashi with a kunai above him.

"This is the end." Kakashi said. Suddenly, two senbon needles were impaled onto Zabuza's neck and his body soon slumped against the tree. Kakashi jumped down as Kagome appeared in front of Zabuza's body. They looked up to where the needles were through from. There was a figure who appeared on the branch not to far from figure was a male dressed in the Kirigakure pinstriped outfit where the baggy pants stopped at the knees. He wore a green haori with white trimmings, and around his waist a brown sash with a fringed trail wrapped around his waist twice over the pinstriped outfit. On his feet, he wore light-brown platoon sandals with straps in the same color as his kimono and nail polish on his fingernails and toenails in matching blue green color. He had long black hair that was gathered in a white bun holder, while two locks of his hair fell loose framing his face that were bound with metal hair cuffs at the ends. The mask on him was white with thin, curved eye-holes and a red wavy design in place of the mouth. The Hidden Village of the Mist symbol etched on the forehead part. Then Kakashi walked over to Zabuza's slumped body and checked his pulse. Nothing.

"He's dead." Kakashi said.

"Thank you. I've been searching for Zabuza for some time." The figure said.

 _It must be a male. Probably my age. Hasn't reached puberty yet. He must be a chuunin. But why would they let someone so young join the ANBU?_ Kagome thought, _Come to think of it, Kakashi-sensei was six years old when he became chuunin and Itachi was twelve when he joined the ANBU._

"Judging by your mask, you must be a hunter-nin from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi said.

"Hai, I am." The hunter-nin said, nodding. Then he disappeared in a whirl of leaves and reappeared beside Zabuza's body. He put Zabuza's right arm over his shoulder and held his left arm around Zabuza's waist.

"This body holds many secrets, I will dispose of it." The hunter-nin said before he disappeared in a whirl of leaves once more. The mist soon cleared away once he left. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, let's get going. Our mission isn't over yet." Kakashi said as he put his hitai-ate over his left eye.

"You can all rest at my house once we get there." Tazuna said. Everyone turned their heads towards him and nodded. That's right, they were still on a mission and they had to see it done.

"Sounds like a plan." Kagome said. Suddenly, black spots began to appear in her line of vision and her legs started to feel like jelly before she could step forward. Then everything went black. The last thing she heard was her name being called out from everyone.

" **Kagome!** " Everyone claimed.

* * *

 _Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It's self-defense. It's patriotism._  
\- Joe Biden

* * *

 **A/N:**

Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu - Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique

Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu - Water Release: Water Prison Technique

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu - Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique

Suiton: Mizurappa - Water Release: Water Trumpet


	10. A Kind Heart

Chapter 10: A Kind Heart

 _I wonder how Kagome's doing on her mission._ Iruka thought as he ate his lunch outside. It was already noon time at the academy. He kept wondering how Kagome was doing on her first C-rank mission. Though he wished that she would just take a D-rank mission instead. Even though Kagome is no longer his student, he still worry for her. Especially during those awful times in her childhood. She was always getting bullied for what was inside of her. But somehow, she was able to make friends with most of the students and some civilians. Although he wasn't expecting her to befriend a lot of animals as well.

"Iruka-san?"

Iruka looked up and turned towards where he heard the voice near the fence. He saw a familiar face who had long brown hair that stopped at the shoulders and hazel colored eyes. Mao, a nurse that works at the Konoha hospital and she was the only one who treats Kagome whenever she's injured.

"Hey, Mao-chan. What are you doing around here?" Iruka asked as he stood up and walked in front of the fence.

"Oh, since it's my day off I thought that I should get some groceries and do some house chores." Mao said, smiling.

"I see." Iruka said.

"By the way, where's Kagome-chan?" Mao asked.

"Oh, she's on a mission with her team in the Land of Waves." Iruka said.

"That must be a C-rank mission. Her team must be glad to finally have a higher rank mission." Mao asked with a closed eye smile.

"Hai, they were very anxious to get this one. Even though they didn't seem to like the client at all." Iruka said while rubbing the back of his head.

"But you're worried about her, aren't you?" Mao asked with a soft look.

"Hai." Iruka said. He couldn't really help it. To Iruka, Kagome was like a little sister. Causing mischief sometimes while studying and training hard to become a powerful kunoichi.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She has her team to rely on." Mao said, reassuring him.

"Thank you, Mao-chan." Iruka said.

"You're welcome, Iruka-san." Mao said, "Well, I better get going if I want to get those chores done."

"Hey, Mao-chan." Iruka said.

"Hai?" Mao asked.

"Would you...would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" Iruka asked.

"Sure, I would love to, Iruka-san." Mao said with a soft gaze.

"G-Great! I'll pick you up at six then?" Iruka asked.

"Hai, see you then." Mao said.

* * *

Later:

Iruka had taken Mao to an udon restaurant. It was a change of pace for the both of them since they both eat their own meals at home or at work. So it worked out for them. They had casual talk like if anything interesting happened in the academy or in the hospital. Iruka said that Konohamaru and friends were training very hard to become ninjas and Konohamaru was determined to surpass Kagome. Mao told him about a couple getting into a ridiculous argument in one of the hospital rooms. They both laughed at the story. Then Mao decided to ask Iruka about Kagome.

"By the way, Iruka-san." Mao said.

"Hm?" Iruka asked.

"How did you come across Kagome when she was heavily injured when she was three?" Mao asked.

"Well, I was on my way home after I finished grading the tests at the academy." Iruka began to say as he started to remember what happened that day.

Flashback:

" _I wonder what I should make for dinner tonight?" Iruka asked himself as he walked towards his apartment. Kagome gave him a few recipes of her own so that he wouldn't eat the same thing every night. He knew that Kagome was trying to look out for him just as he was looking out for her._

" _Meow."_

 _A sound broke him out of his thoughts. He looked down and saw a tan colored cat with two tails and red eyes sitting down in front of him. He was a little bit confused on what kind of cat this was and why it was just staring up at him. Then the cat walked up and was clawing at his pants._

" _Meow!"_

" _What's wrong?" Iruka asked. The cat ran away from him only to stop a couple inches away. For some strange reason, it seems like the cat wanted him to follow it. After following the cat all the way to an alley, Iruka could tell that something was wrong. Then the cat ran into the alley with him behind. He quickly followed the cat and saw something that made his coal colored eyes widened in shock and almost made his heart stopped._

" _KAGOME!"_

 _Kagome was slumped against the wall, unconscious. Her clothes were tattered and ripped. There were bruises all over and a heavy cut was on the side of her cheek. She had a black eye on her right eye as well. Iruka could easily tell that she was beat up really bad. He carefully lifted her into his arms and raced towards the hospital._

Flashback Ends

"I'm glad that you were there that night, Mao." Iruka said.

"Hai, I'm glad as well. I wouldn't be a nurse if I didn't help an injured person. Especially a child like Kagome." Mao said. She also couldn't forget that night as well.

Flashback:

 _Mao sighed for the fifth time today as she walked down towards the front desk. There haven't been many patients lately. Well, most A-rank missions have sent a few jounin here for injuries. Many of them aren't really life threatening. Except for the ANBU members. Most of them have really bad injuries, which includes poisons and broken bones. She was just glad that there weren't any civilian ones. Some were small colds or really bad fevers. Broken bones from working or fist fights._

'I really wish that people would be more considerate of themselves instead of just going straight into a fight without a second thought.' _Mao thought to herself as she sat down behind the desk. What broke her out of her thoughts was when a Konoha shinobi poofed into the front of the hospital desk. She recognized him. It was Iruka Umino from the ninja academy. He appeared to be carrying someone in his arms. She walked a little closer and to see that it was a little girl. Probably three years old or older. She looked really beat up. Then Mao recognized the child: Kagome Uzumaki the jinchūriki of the nine tailed kitsune._

" _Please, you have to help her!" Iruka said. Mao quickly walked around the desk and could clearly see that she had heavy injuries. She didn't think that people would be so cruel towards a little girl who had no idea what was inside her._

" _Okay, follow me." Mao said as she lead him towards an empty room._

 _When Mao finished treating Kagome, she gazed at the little girl. She never knew that this small girl would accept the hatred that the villagers had towards her. It was worse when she doesn't even know who her parents were. Sometimes, Mao wondered why the Yondaime would make this child go through so much pain with the beast sealed inside of her. Did he know that this would happen to the little girl in front of her?_

 _Mao listened to her breathing as she slept in the hospital bed. To her point of view, she looked like an innocent child. She turned around and walked out of the room to see Iruka standing outside of the room with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his back leaning against the wall. Another thing she noticed was the two tailed cat sitting on his left shoulder. Iruka looked up at her when he heard her open the door._

" _How is she?" Iruka asked, worried._

" _She has some bruises, a black eye, and a broken rib on her left side. She'll have to stay here overnight." Mao said._

" _Thank god." Iruka said as he slumped to his knees._

" _You're welcome to come in and see her." Mao said._

" _Thank you." Iruka said as he stood back up. Mao nodded and turned around to open the door for him. He went into the room with Mao behind him. The both of them looked at Kagome with pity and sadness. They knew that they couldn't do much except to watch over the girl. Iruka stood at Kagome's bedside and brushed her bangs aside as she slept peacefully. His eyes were shaking with tears in the corner of his eyes. At that moment he felt so much regret. He wished that he was with Kagome before this happened. He should have walked her home instead of grading all of the tests. Then she wouldn't have ended up in this condition. Iruka turned around and stared at Mao._

" _Thank you, for helping Kagome-chan." Iruka said._

" _I wouldn't be a nurse if I refused to help a patient." Mao said with a soft look in her eyes._

" _But still, thank you." Iruka said, wiping away his tears._

" _You're welcome." Mao said with a closed smile._

" _If it's not too much to ask...could you keep an eye on Kagome for me?" Iruka asked._

" _I promise I will." Mao said._

" _Thank you once more." Iruka said. Then he stepped away from the bed, but he stopped in his footsteps when he felt a hand on his left wrist. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kagome's hand gripping his wrist._

" _Iruka-sensei, could you stay here?" Kagome asked with half lid eyes. His eyes soften at the look._

" _Sure." Iruka said as he sat in a chair next to the bed. The cat jumped off his shoulder and onto Kagome's bed. She curled up next to Kagome's right side. Iruka smiled at the scene before him._

Flashback Ends

Iruka could never forget how worried he was when he found Kagome in that horrible condition. He felt so guilty that he was unable to help his student. After that incident, Iruka would always walk Kagome home after academy ended. Somehow, he didn't want to find her in that condition again. To his point of view, Kagome was like family to him. Someone who went through the same hardships as him, but their circumstances were a little bit different.

"Iruka." Mao said.

"Hai?" Iruka asked, coming back from his thoughts.

"Why do you care so much about Kagome?" Mao asked.

"For some strange reason, she kind of reminds me of me." Iruka said.

"You?" Mao asked, curious.

"When my parents were killed, no one seemed to care and no one paid any attention to me. So I pulled pranks in order to get attention. Not to mention that my grades dropped as well." Iruka said.

"I see." Mao said, smiling.

* * *

After dinner and dessert was over, Iruka decided to walk Mao home since sometimes the streets were not safe at night. Especially if you go out alone. Kagome was proof for that statement. Iruka couldn't stop thinking about that event. The time when he felt like he failed to protect Kagome from harm. He just wished that he had gotten there sooner.

"Don't keep blaming yourself, Iruka-san." Mao said. Her voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"I know, but sometimes I can't help it." Iruka said.

"Well, that was in the past now, Iruka-san. It's about time to move on from that." Mao said. Iruka closed his eyes and sighed. Mao was right. It's all in the past now. Kagome is stronger enough to hold her own and she has a team who will look out for each other.

"You're right, Mao-chan." Iruka said as his eyes soften, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Iruka-san." Mao said, her eyes soften as well.

* * *

Then they finally arrived at Mao's apartment. It was a little quiet between them and neither didn't know what to do at that moment. Luckily, Iruka was able to break the silence.

"I hope you had a good time tonight, Mao-chan." Iruka said with pink cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I did and thank you, Iruka-san." Mao said with a shade of pink on her cheeks while looking down at her feet and fidgeting with her hands.

"You're welcome." Iruka said. Suddenly, Iruka felt something soft against his lips. His eyes widened when he realized that Mao was kissing him. He closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Then their kisses got hungrier as they changed the angles of their lips. Unfortunately, they had to let go when oxygen was need. Iruka stared into Mao's hazel colored eyes as he panted while Mao was staring into Iruka's dark colored eyes while panting. Iruka kissed her once more before he let go of her lips.

"Well, I uh...see you tomorrow." Iruka said, looking away. Feeling embarrassed.

"Oh, yeah...see you then." Mao said, blushing in a deep shade of red. Mao took out her keys and tried to put it in the keyhole. Her hands were a little bit shaky for some reason. Then the keys were taken out of her hand.

"Here, I'll do it." Iruka said, put the key in. There was a click and he opened the door for Mao.

"Thank you, again Iruka-san." Mao said, smiling.

"Don't mention it. Well, good night." Iruka said before turning around and walking down the steps from the apartment.

"Good night." Mao said before entering her apartment and closing the door behind her.

* * *

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

\- Lao Tzu


	11. Lost Courage

Chapter 11: Lost Courage

 _Five year old Kagome was sitting at her desk in the back corner of the classroom. No one wanted to sit next to her. Kagome already knew the reason why no one would. Everyone thought that she was a monster in human form. To Kagome's point of view, they were blinded by fear and hatred._

" _Okay class, that's all for today." Iruka said. Everyone packed up their stuff and left the classroom. But Kagome waited until everyone was gone since she had no one to wait for her._

 _She didn't have training with Asuma-sensei today, so she decided to watch the clouds on the hill with Kirara and Aki. Even though, she had her animal friends and some grown-up friends. She knew that Iruka wanted her to have at least one human friend that was around her age. She sighed at the thought. But she also knew that none of the other kids wanted to go near her. It was mostly because their parents told them to stay away from her. Suddenly, her foot caught onto something, causing her to fall face first onto the ground._

" _Ooww." Kagome groaned as she sat up._

" _Hey, are you okay?"_

 _Kagome looked over her shoulder and saw a boy, around her age, with narrowed brown eyes and black hair that was pulled up into a spiky ponytail that looked like a pineapple. He was wearing a T-shirt that had a symbol on the front of it: the Nara clan. She knew who the Nara clan was. The members of the clan were able to manipulate shadows and they tend to the deer and use their antlers for medicine._

" _Don't worry, I'm fine. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings." Kagome said._

" _Okay." The boy said, "Hey, aren't you Kagome Uzumaki?"_

" _Yeah, I am. But who are you?" Kagome asked._

" _I'm Shikamaru Nara." The boy said._

" _Nice to meet you." Kagome said._

" _Likewise," Shikamaru replied, "What are you doing out here?"_

" _I thought I'd watch the clouds for a while." Kagome replied._

" _I was doing the same thing." Shikamaru said._

" _How about we watch them together?" Kagome asked._

" _Sure." Shikamaru replied with a shrug. So the two spent most of the afternoon together, watching the clouds go by. When the sun began to set, Kagome knew that it was time to go home._

" _Well I better get going now." Kagome said._

" _Can I walk you home?" Shikamaru asked._

" _You don't have to if you don't want to." Kagome said, nervously._

" _It would be troublesome if my mom found out that I didn't walk a girl home." Shikamaru said with his hands behind his head._

" _Sure, if you don't mind, Shikamaru." Kagome said with a smile._

" _Not at all, Kagome." Shikamaru smiled back._

* * *

Kagome felt like her body was full of lead as she began to open her eyes. She didn't think that a water jutsu would tire her out already. Well, if you include using Hiraishin to save your sensei and fighting against a powerful kenjutsu user, then you would be tired out. She remembered that dream. It was a memory of when she and Shikamaru met for the first time. After their first encounter, he walked her home everyday. Well, she met Choji after she met Shikamaru and his family. Later on, she trained with Sasuke Uchiha, Ryouta Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara decided to join them. She also trained with Asuma sensei as well. Somehow, she was able to gain friends as she was taught to become a kunoichi. Kagome looked at her surroundings, she noticed that she was lying down on a futon in a room she didn't recognized and Kirara was resting beside her head. The last thing she remembered was battling against Zabuza, the hunter-nin showing up, and after that everything went black. Then she noticed a woman with long beautiful blue-colored hair and black eyes who was wringing water out of a towel over a small bowl of water. The woman looked towards Kagome.

"Oh, you're awake. How do you feel?" The woman asked, smiled.

"A little weak, but I'll be okay." Kagome responded, "Who are you?"

"I'm Tsunami." The woman replied.

"I'm Kagome. The little one beside me is my partner, Kirara." Kagome responded in kind.

"She definitely is a cute one. But also very loyal. She hasn't left your side even after you placed here." Tsunami said.

"Kirara is very protective to me." Kagome said.

"I can easily see that." Tsunami smiled at the sleeping Kirara. She heard the door open to her right. Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna came in.

"Kagome-chan, you're awake." Kakashi said as he sat down beside her futon.

"Hai, but I'm still a little bit tired though." Kagome said.

"You nearly gave us a heart attack, Kagome-chan." Sakura said.

"Sorry." Kagome said.

"I have to say that I'm impressed." Tazuna said.

"With what?" Kagome asked.

"How you were able to fight against that guy." Tazuna replied.

"Thank you, Tazuna." Kagome said with a small smile. Then she began to sit up.

"Heh. Well, you did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassin." Tazuna rubbed his face with a towel, "So we'll be safe for awhile."

"By the way, who was that boy with the mask, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura pondered.

"He's from the Elite Tracking Unit of Kirigakure. Those mask are only worn by the most elite shinobi." Kakashi replied.

"A special squad?" Sakura questioned.

"They are also known as the inferno squad, and their job is to erase any evidence that a ninja was alive. A ninja's body will give away the secrets of ninja techniques and chakra of the village it was in, any specific medicine that was used on a body, along with various other things. For example, if I die, the secret to the Sharingan will be examined. And in the worst case scenario, there's a possibility that my techniques, including the Sharingan, will be stolen. In other words, hunter-nins will kill exiled ninjas who have abandoned the village, dispose of the ninja's body, and stop any secrets of the village from being revealed. They are specialists in the field." Kakashi explained.

"But sensei, if that were the case, then the only thing that boy would need is the head as proof since he didn't dispose Zabuza on the spot." Kagome said, "Also, the weapon that he used to kill Zabuza is questionable."

"It was just a senbon." Sasuke said when he finally got the picture, "Could it be that...?"

"Zabuza is still alive." Kagome finished Sasuke's thought.

" **WHAT?!** " Tazuna and Sakura shouted with jaws dropping and eyes bulging out.

"B-But you confirmed that he died, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura stuttered with panic.

"I _did_ confirm it." he said, "But he was most likely merely in a near-death state. The weapon that the hunter-nin used has a low fatality rate unless it hits a critical spot. It's most likely used in acupuncture healing and such. Hunter-nins know the structure of a human body very well. It should be easy for them to put a person into a near-death state. First, he took home the corpse of Zabuza even when it's obvious that the body was heavier than him. Second, he used a weapon that has a low fatality rate. From these two points, the goal of that boy was not to kill Zabuza, but to help him."

"Aren't you reading way too much into it?" Tazuna asked, trying to ease his panic. Sweat was already beginning to accumulate on his face and he tried to dry it with the rag in his hand.

"No, once a ninja feels that there's something weird, he must prepare for it quickly before it's too late. It's one of the ninja's rules." Kakashi said.

"Sensei? You said 'prepare quickly', but how are we supposed to do that when Kagome can barely move." Sakura tightened her grip on her pants.

"Don't worry, I'll be up and moving by tomorrow, sensei." Kagome said.

"Hold on! This little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza." Sakura nervously panicked.

"Haruno, this training would give us a fighting chance against Zabuza and that masked kid." Kagome said with a serious expression.

"Sakura, who was it that saved me during my difficult battle? You've been all quickly grown…especially you, Kagome. You've grown the most." Kakashi said with a closed eye smile.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. Now it's getting interesting!" Kagome said with an excited grin.

"No, it's not." A young male voice said from behind them. A little boy, no older than eight, stood there. He had spiky black hair and onyx eyes. He wore a green jumpsuit with a yellow shirt and a simple pair of sandals. He also wore a blue and white striped hat.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked, brow arched.

"Inari!" Tazuna happily said, "Where were you?"

"Welcome back…grandpa..." Inari said as he ran towards his grandfather, embracing him. The entire team watched the exchange. They had never seen the boy.

"Inari, what sort of greeting is that? These are the Ninja who escorted your grandfather!" Tsunami scolded him as she wandered towards him, hands on her hips.

"It's okay, it's okay. Right, Inari?" Tazuna asked as he grinned, ruffling the boy's hair. Inari looked at the team, examining them one by one. After a very awkward and uncomfortable moment, Inari moved over to his mother. Standing in front of her, he looked up into her face.

"Mom, these guys will die. There's no way they can oppose Gato and win." Inari said. Then he turned around and began to walk out of the room, "If you don't want to die, you should go home."

"Inari, wait, where are you going?" Tsunami asked.

"To look out at the ocean. I want to be alone." He opened the door and left before closing it behind him.

"Sorry about that." Tazuna gave them an apologetic smile.

"Has he…always been like that?" Kagome asked, looking to Tazuna. The look that he gave her in return told her 'yes'.

 _That boy. He had suffered from something very dramatic. Possibly something horrifying._ Kagome thought. The eyes of the little boy haunted her. They were pain ridden and have seen horrors.

* * *

The next day, after Kagome had recovered, Kakashi and the three genins stood in the middle of a forest for their training.

"We will now begin the training." he said.

"Hai!" Kagome said.

"But before that, let me once again talk about chakra, the base of the ability as a ninja." Kakashi questioned.

"At a time like this?" Sasuke asked flatly as he looked away as if he had something better to do, "We know that."

"Sasuke's right, sensei. Why is there a need to bring this up?" Kagome asked.

"Besides, we're already using chakra energy in our jutsus." Sasuke retorted.

"You have not mastered this power, you've barely only scratched the surface of it." Kakashi said.

" **What?** " Kagome, Sasuke, and Sakura asked in unison.

"Just listen. You have to draw on physical and spiritual energies and combined them within yourself, but how do you do that? Each jutsu requires different types of chakra in different proportions. You must select and combined them exactly the right way. Up to now, you have just guessed at the proportions, hoping they'd come out right. Even if you can produce a lot of chakra, if you can't balance and control it, it is all worthless. The jutsu won't work at all or it'll be a cheap joke. You waste so much energy that way. Then you're out of chakra and you can't fight at all. You're just a target." Kakashi explained.

"So what should we do?" Sakura asked.

"You're going to learn how to control it with your body. You must go through rigorous training where you put your life on the line." Their sensei replied.

"Kakashi-sensei, how do we train for this?" Sakura questioned, looking worried like her teammates.

"Climb a tree." He answered.

" **Climb a tree?** " The three genins asked.

"That's right. But it's not ordinary tree climbing. You're going to climb without using your hands." Kakashi added.

"What? You're kidding." Sakura said.

"Am I? Let's see." Once he gathered chakra, he walked to the tree and started to climb it with his crutches and without his hands. Kagome could tell that he was gathering chakra to his feet to stick on the tree. Once he was upside down, he stopped. "Well, you get the idea. Focus your chakra towards the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of chakra."

"Wait a minute! That's a nice trick, but how does it help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura questioned.

"The main purpose of this training is to accumulate the right amount of molded chakra in the right location. This is difficult even for a well-trained ninja. The amount of chakra used for this tree climbing exercise is quite subtle. And the most difficult place to concentrate chakra is said to be the bottom of the feet. If you master this, you'll be able to master any jutsu. Well, theoretically speaking." Kakashi paused, "The second purpose is to maintain your chakra levels. When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to control and maintain his chakra levels. A deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining chakra must become a second nature, effortless. Well I could talk about this all day, but that won't advance your skills, will it? You need to apply the use of chakra through training."

Kakashi threw down three kunai, Kagome caught the one thrown at her and spun it around her finger. "Use the kunai to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb without using your hands, and then try and pass that mark the next time and the next. At first, you'll need to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible. Until you get use to it. Ready?"

"Let's do this!" Kagome excitedly said.

Kagome took the first tree while Sakura took the second and went straight up. Sasuke took the third tree and created a hole, but he managed to mark where he reached before jumping back and landed on the ground.

 _I didn't know maintaining a constant amount of chakra was this difficult_. He thought. _If the chakra is too strong, I get repelled_.

"Hey, this is fun!"

Sasuke looked up and saw Sakura up high sitting on a tree branch.

"Well done, Sakura." Kakashi complimented. Sakura smiled at the praise and looked towards Sasuke who frowned and turned his head away from them.

 _I just wanted Sasuke-kun to compliment me_. Sakura thought with her head slumped down in disappointment, _Why does it always turn out like this?_

"Wait a minute, where's Kagome?" Sasuke asked.

"The view is beautiful up here!"

The three looked up and saw Kagome at the very top of the tree. Sasuke gazed upon her as the wind blew threw her yellow hair. He blushed when he began to think how radiate she looked.

"Excellent, Kagome! Your knowledge of chakra is splendid and your control and stamina are good as well." Kakashi said with a closed eye smile before his tone turned into a teasing one, "Maybe Kagome and Sakura are the closest one to becoming a Hokage right now. The Uchiha clan isn't as great as I thought, either."

"Shut up, sensei!" Sakura yelled before she blushed with embarrassment. _Sasuke-kun's going to hate me._

"Thank you, sensei!" Kagome yelled.

 _Those two, Kagome and Sasuke, have an incredible amount of chakra hidden within that even Sakura can't match._ Kakashi thought as he looked at them. _If this training goes well, it will become a treasure for them._

Though Kagome was above everyone, she glanced down and saw Inari spying on them. He scoffed and walked away. Her eyes slanted suspiciously.

 _What happened to him that made him become like this?_ she thought.

* * *

Few days had passed and there was no sign of Gatō and his men as the construction of the bridge continued. Kagome and Sakura were in charge to look after their client, Tazuna, while he worked on the bridge. Sakura sat by herself while Kagome with Kirara on her shoulder were standing near the railing, listening to the waves. She felt bad for the people of this village. They lived in fear and poverty everyday because of Gatō's influence. Sakura's yawn broke her out of her thoughts, which also caught Tazuna's attention.

"You always this lazy?" he asked while carrying a building material. "Where's that arrogant guy?"

"He's training with a tree climbing exercise." she replied.

"What about you two?" Tazuna asked.

"I'm smart, so Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you." she said with a cocky tone as she flicked her bangs out of her face. Tazuna scoffed at her statement which caused her to glare at him.

"That Kagome girl, I can believe. You, I don't." He replied.

"Oh yeah? What's wrong with me?" Sakura asked with a irk mark on her temple.

"She looks more alert than you. Not as lazy either." Tazuna said.

 _Why you...!_ Sakura angrily thought before she secretly glared at the girl at the railing to her right. _Why does she always get all the credits?!_

"May I have a word with you, Tazuna?" a man asked, walking towards him.

"What is it, Giichi?" he asked.

"Well, after thinking about it... Can I quit this bridge building?"

"W-Why all of a sudden?! Not you too..."

"Tazuna, I've known you for a long time. I want to help, but if I get too involved, Gatō will come after me, too. Everything will lose meaning if you die. Why don't you stop building this bridge?"

"I can't do that. This bridge is our bridge. This is the bridge that we've been building with the people of the village in hopes that distribution and transportation will increase to this poor Land of Waves, which possess few resources."

"But if we die..." Giichi trailed off.

"It's already lunch time. Let's stop for now." Tazuna then walked away.

"Tazuna!"

"Giichi, you don't have to come anymore."

Kagome sighed at this. This man, Giichi, was right. Everyone was afraid of Gatō and they didn't want to become one of his targets. This was why the bridge was taking so long to make. They were giving up, abandoning their hope for their village.

* * *

"Hey, where are we going?" Sakura asked as she looked at the shops around her.

"I've been asked to buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner." Tazuna replied. Kagome looked around at all the people as they walked by, including one with a board that said, "I will do any job." She heard a man shout 'Thief!' which turned out to be a young boy running into the alley to hide with something that he had stolen. What caught both hers and Sakura's attention were two poor kids sitting on the ground, waiting for someone to give them something.

"This is it." he said as they arrived in front of a shop.

"Welcome." The shop owner greeted Tazuna. The three entered the shop, however, there was not enough food. Kagome glanced around at the little amount of food but was surprised when she heard Sakura yell, "Pervert!" and kicked the guy in the face which sent him backwards.

 _I don't think that was a pervert._ Kagome sweatdropped at what Sakura did. After buying the groceries, they left the shop and went back to Tazuna's house.

"I was really surprised back there." he said.

"What's with the village?" Sakura was still angry by the incident at the shop.

Kagome sighed at this. She couldn't believe that Sakura hadn't figured it out. It was obvious that the man from before was trying to steal from her, not a pervert. Then she felt someone grabbed her butt. She thought it was a man, but she felt the hand was too small so she turned around to see a little boy who was wearing rags with no shoes on his feet and dirt smudges on his body.

"Please?" he asked with his hands out like a bowl and smiled. Kagome's sapphire blue eyes softened at the boy's smile. She took out two rice balls from her pack and handed to the little boy.

"Here." Kagome said. The boy took them and looked at them with his eyes twinkling. "Thanks!" he said gratefully as he ran off. She glanced to the side to see Sakura handing some sweets to a little girl. She thanked the pink haired girl and ran off as well.

Tazuna sighed. "This is how it's been since Gatō took over. Children are suffering and the adults are too afraid to stand up to him. They've lost all hope. That's why we have to finish the bridge. It will bring commerce and trade, but much more importantly that bridge is a symbol of courage. We must restore the spirit of our people. When the bridge is finished, people will start to believe again. They'll believe they can live with dignity. We can't let Gatō stop us." Tazuna said with clenched fists. Kagome could tell that Tazuna wasn't going to give up on building the bridge. It was because he believed. He believed that the bridge will bring hope to the village. He still held onto it.

* * *

Kagome and Tsunami were making dinner by the time Sasuke had returned from training. Sakura cooed at him being a strong shinobi and that he'll be even stronger soon. To Kagome's point of view, those kinds of compliments were getting old especially when they were coming from Sakura.

When dinner was finally made, everyone loved the stew that Kagome and Tsunami made. Tsunami told them that Kagome was the one who was able to get most of the ingredients for the stew. The look on Sakura's face was priceless. Tazuna was extremely happy to see that they had guests. It had been a while since they had any.

After dinner was done, Tsunami was washing the dishes while everyone else was having tea. Kagome wanted to help Tsunami with the dishes, but Tsunami said that she wanted to do it. So Kagome let her. Sakura stared at a torn picture hanging on the wall. The picture had four people; Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami and an unidentified man whose picture was torn.

"Um, why are you hanging a torn picture?" she asked. "Inari-kun was watching this during dinner the entire time. This torn part looks like someone intentionally tore away the person who was there."

The three family members froze at her statement, which Kagome and Kakashi noticed.

"It's my husband." Tsunami replied. Tazuna looked at the table solemnly.

"They use to call him a hero in this land." He added.

Inari got up from his seat. "Inari, where are you going?" He slammed the door shut loudly as Tsunami followed him.

"Father, you can't talk about him in front of Inari! You know that." She scolded Tazuna and went after her son, leaving everyone in silence.

"What's wrong with Inari-kun?" Kagome asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"It seems there's a reason behind this." Kakashi said.

"He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later and he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close. In those days, Inari use to laugh all the time, but then . . ," Tazuna started crying, "all of that ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since that day, everything changed. The word 'courage' was stolen from this island. We were left powerless, hopeless, and Inari suffered the most."

"What happened to Inari, Tazuna?" Kagome asked in a crestfallen tone.

"First you need to know the man his father - the man who taught us the word courage - was a hero in this land." Tazuna took off his glasses and wiped away his tears.

"A hero?" Kagome asked.

"You can decide that for yourself. He came here about three years ago. A boy threw Inari's dog in the ocean and then pushed Inari into it as well. He couldn't swim and had no way of getting out. Interesting enough, Pooch learned how to dog paddle at that very moment. He saved my grandson from drowning that day and taught him courage. His name was Kaiza, a simple fisherman who had come from another land to follow his dream. After that, Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. The boy had never known his real father so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him and followed in his footsteps like a real father and son. Kaiza spent more and more time with us until he actually became a member of our family. And then when this town needed him, he became something more. When the floodgates were open when there was major flooding, he swam across and closed the gates, saving the lower district. From that time on, Kaiza was considered a hero in this land. He taught us all the meaning of courage and Inari was proud to be his son." Tazuna paused, "But it wasn't long after that Gatō showed up and took over. He terrorized the whole village and only Kaiza stood up to him, but Gato couldn't have a local hero getting in his way. It took his whole gang to stop him. He destroyed his arms and tied him up to a log. From there he had his men kill him with the whole village watching, Inari included. Since then, Inari's changed. So did Tsunami and all our people. We lost our will."

"You haven't yet, Tazuna." Kagome said. Tazuna turned towards Kagome.

"Huh?" Tazuna asked, "What do you mean?"

"You haven't lost hope for your village. By building the bridge, it means that you still have Kaiza's courage. You're resisting Gatō's influence. You're doing whatever it takes to finish the bridge that will save this village. That takes a lot amount of courage, Tazuna." Kagome explained. The room went into silence once more. Everyone was surprised at Kagome's words especially Tazuna. He was about to deny those words, but it actually made sense to him. Every other day there are more villagers stepping down from completing the bridge because of their fear of Gatō. Perhaps she was right.

"Thank you, Kagome." Tazuna softly smiled. Kagome smiled back as well.

* * *

Kagome was walking through the woods the next morning. She was looking for some herbs to create the salve she needed to make. Then she found where they were. She knelt down and starting putting the herbs into her basket that she had brought along with her. Even though she had the ability to heal, there would be a time when she can't use it. So she made different antidotes and other medicines to use on their missions.

"Okay, that should be enough." Kagome said when she got all of the herbs that she needed. Then she tensed when she felt an aura nearby. She slowly turned around and saw a young man who looked quite feminine. He had raven colored hair that was as long as Sakura's, pale skin, and large dark brown eyes. He wore a pink kimono with a black choker around his neck and a pair of wooden clogs on his feet.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" He asked.

"Only a little bit. But I'm fine." Kagome said. The young man knelt down and placed a basket of herbs next to him.

"Getting medical herbs?" Kagome asked.

"Hai." He said as he plunked and put the herbs in the basket.

"Are you a healer, sir?" Kagome questioned.

"Hai, I'm just getting some herbs for medicine." The young man said.

"I see." Kagome said. She grew curious of the young man before her. His aura and his voice sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. While she was thinking, the young man was done picking.

"Well, I must be going now." The young man said as he stood up with his basket in hand.

"Okay. Well, have a good day." Kagome said. The young man nodded and turned around to leave. He then glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

"I hope we cross paths someday." The young man said. Then it hit Kagome like a ton of bricks: the young man in front of her is the hunter-nin! No wonder why that aura felt familiar to her. Before she could do anything, the young man was gone.

* * *

"Where's Sasuke-kun? He's never been out this late before." Sakura said in a worried tone.

"I'm sure that he's fine. Sasuke can take care of himself." Kagome said before taking a bite of her dinner. She knew that Sasuke was a strong individual ever since she met him. But the darkness that's in his heart was what Kagome was really concerned about. The door opening brought Kagome out of her thoughts. She looked towards the door and saw Sasuke who had a few scratches here and there all over as he leaned against the door frame.

"What the heck happened to you?" Tazuna asked, "You look like someone who dragged the cat in."

"I made it." Sasuke breathed out, "All the way to the top."

"Very good, Sasuke, you'll be with us to guard Tazuna at the bridge tomorrow." Kakashi said, smiling underneath his mask.

"I knew you could do it, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura complemented.

"Congrats, Sasuke." Kagome smiled. Sasuke slightly blushed at that smile, which Sakura glared at Kagome for Sasuke's reaction towards her. Kakashi quietly chuckled at this. Sasuke had a crush on Kagome who was completely oblivious to it. Kakashi started to bet that Kagome had a crush on Shikamaru Nara. Afterall, they've known each other when they were kids and he was her first friend, human friend who was around her age. He was also starting to believe that Shikamaru had a crush on her as well.

Soon after dinner was over, Tsunami handed out tea to everyone.

"Be careful tomorrow, Father." Tsunami said. Tazuna nodded at her.

"The bridge will be completed in a few days." Tazuna said, "But I have to ask you something…"

Kakashi arched his brow when Tazuna turned towards him.

"Why did you decide to stay and help me even though I lied to you to bring you all here?" he asked.

Kakashi simply folded his hands and said, "'To abandon one's duty is not courageous, below the courageous there is nothing'...a quote stated by the first Hokage."

That quote was true to Kagome's point of view. The first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was a great man in Konohagakure. A shinobi who fought along side with his brother so hard to achieve peace for the people. But he ended up being betrayed by his friend, Madara Uchiha.

"Why?" Inari asked with his fists shaking underneath the table as his bangs covering his eyes. Kagome turned towards Inari and noticed a small amount of black in his aura. It almost made a shiver go up her spine. Then he shot up and slammed his fists onto the table.

"There's no point with your stupid training! It's just a waste of time! Gatō has a huge army out there and he'll destroy you all!" Inari shouted at everyone. There was anger in his eyes, sadness in them as well. Kagome remembered that she had that kind of eyes back in the feudal era. They mostly showed when Inuyasha would always choose to protect Kikyō while he leaves everyone vulnerable to Naraku.

"No matter what you say or do, the strong will always lose!" Inari shouted.

"You don't know that, Inari." Kagome calmly said.

"Shut up! It pisses me off when I watch you! You don't know anything about the country, and you're so nosy! I'm different from you, someone who doesn't know any real pain and just laughs all the time!" Inari yelled as he pointed at Kagome.

"Just because you have suffered, doesn't mean that we haven't." Kagome said with her bangs that covered her eyes, "Everyone at this table had suffered more than you can imagine. But I guess you won't understand what we've been through."

With that said, Kagome stood up and walked out the door. Everyone was silent as soon as she left. Then Inari went outside to the docks outside of the house.

* * *

Inari sat down at the edge of the dock while pulling his knees close to his chest. He gazed at the moon as the previous event entered his mind. What that girl, Kagome, had said to him. When she said that she and her friends had suffered, he almost didn't believe her. He couldn't understand why she still has hope, yet she had suffered as well. Then he heard footsteps behind him.

"May I?" The person asked. He glanced behind see Kakashi next to him. Inari nodded and sat down next to him.

"Kagome can be a little harsh from time to time, but she doesn't hate you." Kakashi said, "We heard about your father from Tazuna. Kagome is the same as you. She didn't have a father or a mother when she was your age. She also had a hard time making friends. The village treated her like a plague. She was always desperate to make people recognize her as a Konoha kunoichi." Kakashi paused, "But I never saw her cry. My guess is that she got tired of it. So she kept studying and trained hard in order to prove herself. She also wishes to protect her friends at the same time since they're important to her. Kagome is able to put her life on the line for her dream." Inari looked at him with an understanding look.

"That's why she knows the true meaning of being strong. Just like your father. Kagome might be the one who would understand you the most. What she said to you before, those are probably the words she's been telling herself over and over again."

* * *

 _Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live._

\- Norman Cousins


	12. Bravery

Chapter 12: Bravery

Kagome was still exhausted from yesterday's training. After her spat with Inari, Kagome trained all night to get stronger in order to stand a chance against Zabuza and the masked boy. But she had to try, no matter how long it takes. She opened her eyes as she sat up in her futon and noticed that it was morning. She blinked for a little bit until she finally realized that it was indeed morning and that she was suppose to be escorting Tazuna with her team. She leaped out out of the futon and quickly put on her clothes. She ran down the steps with Kirara behind her and when she got to the bottom, she saw Tsunami washing the dishes.

"Tsunami-san!" Kagome said.

"Ah, Kagome-chan, Kirara. Good morning." Tsunami smiled.

"Good morning." Kagome said. "How come no one woke me up?"

"Your sensei thought it would be best if you rested today since you were up all night training." Tsunami reasoned. Kagome sighed at this. So Kakashi-sensei knew that she would be totally exhausted the next morning.

"Oh, well, I guess I have no choice." Kagome admitted.

"How about some breakfast?" Tsunami asked.

"Sounds great." Kagome replied.

* * *

Kagome was sitting down at the table as she drank her tea while Kirara was drinking milk from a small bowl. Then she felt it. A disturbing nearby. An unsettling feeling in her body. She couldn't help but wonder what was coming straight here. She put her tea down and stood up.

"Tsunami-san, I'm going to go out for a bit. I'll be back in a few." Kagome announced before she and Kirara ran out the door. She jumped through the trees, hoping to find what was making her uneasy. Soon she came across something that made her blood freeze: a dead boar. Then she noticed medium sized scratches marks on the trees. She knew that it couldn't have come from the boar. To her point of view, it looked like a sword went through them. She realized that they were heading down to Tsunami's home.

' _Tsunami-san!'_ Kagome thought with panic as she quickly jumped through the trees. She hoped that she would arrive in time.

* * *

Inari was in the bathroom when his mother called him down to help her with the laundry. Suddenly, he heard something break and his mother scream downstairs. He quickly rushed downstairs and saw his mother on the floor with her hands on her head in fright with two other men who had swords strapped to their waists in the room.

"Mother!" Inari yelled, his eyes widened. Tsunami's widened when she saw Inari.

"Inari, no! Don't come out here! Run away! Hurry!" Tsunami shouted. The two men towards Inari.

"Don't move." The man with the eye patch said and then he turned to the other man. "Should we grab this one too?"

"No, Gatō asked for just one hostage." The other man with the silver white said. Inari stiffened at the mention of Gatō wanting a hostage. He couldn't move at all as he grasped onto the door frame. The man with the eyepatch turned to Inari and held his sword out.

"Alright." He said with an evil glint in his remaining eye. "Then let's waste him!"

Inari froze as the man began to draw his sword out.

"Wait!" Tsunami shouted. The man stopped from unsheathing his sword. "Please don't hurt my son. I begging you. He's just a boy. I will do...anything." Tsunami stated as she glared at the two swordsmen. "Just please don't hurt him."

The one with silver hair smirked and the other one sheathed his sword.

"Looks like your mom came through for you, kid. Lucky." Silver hair said. Tears began falling down Inari's cheeks as he slid onto his knees.

"What a waste. I was in the mood to cut something." Eyepatch said.

"Give it a rest. You already drew blood today." Silver hair said. Then he turned to Tsunami "Let's get her out of here."

Silver hair grabbed Tsunami by the arm and tied both of her hands together behind her back.

"I'm sorry, mom." Inari apologized as tears continued to fall. "I'm sorry."

The two swordsmen escorted Tsunami out of the house.

"W-Why could I do?" Inari questioned. "I'm too weak to protect you."

Tears fell onto his wrists as he wrapped them around his knees in helplessness. "I'm scared. I don't wanna die."

 _'Just because you have suffered, doesn't mean that we haven't_

Inari's eyes widened at Kagome's words from the other night.

' _Everyone at this table had suffered more than you can imagine. But I guess you won't understand what we've been through.'_

Then he remembered what Kakashi had said about Kagome.

' _But I never saw her cry. My guess is that she got tired of it. So she kept studying and trained hard in order to prove herself. She also wishes to protect her friends at the same time since they're important to her. Kagome is able to put her life on the line for her dream. That's why she knows the true meaning of being strong. Just like your father.'_

Inari looked down at his hands as he thought about their words.

' _If you really care about something, protect it even if you have to put your life on the line. Protect it with both arms.'_

Inari remembered those words from his father, the man who came into his life and taught him about courage. How he tried to protect the village with the cost of his two arms. He wiped away his tears as he remembered his mother's smile. He saw how his mother, grandfather, the Konoha ninjas, Kagome, and his father had courage inside them, even when times were tough. He soon recalled what Kagome had said that following night when his grandfather asked why they still wanted to help him after lying to them.

' _You haven't lost hope for your village. By building the bridge, it means that you still have Kaiza's courage. You're resisting Gatō's influence. You're doing whatever it takes to finish the bridge that will save this village. That takes a lot amount of courage, Tazuna.'_

"Can I...be that strong, too?" Inari asked. He stood up with determination. "Father."

Inari ran out the door and went after his mom.

"Stop!"

The two men and Tsunami looked over their shoulders and saw Inari glaring at them. Tsunami gasped when she saw Inari standing there.

"Well, well, if it ain't the little tough guy?" Eye patch said.

"Inari!" Tsunami yelled.

"How cute. You've come to save your mom." Eye patch smirked.

"You...better get away from my mom!" Inari challenged as he ran towards the two men.

"Inari! No!" Tsunami cried out. Eyepatch chuckled.

"This kid is a little short on brains. Don't ya think?" Eye patch asked.

"Take him down." Silver hair ordered as Inari was coming towards them.

"If you hurt him, I swear I'll-" Tsunami trailed off when Silver hair hit the back of her head with his hand, making her fall to her side onto the deck.

"Shut up." Silver hair demanded. "Take a nap."

The two men unsheathed their swords and sliced their target. Soon their eyes widened when they saw three pieces of a log instead of the boy.

"Substitution jutsu!" Silver hair exclaimed. They looked to where they left the woman: she was gone!

"The woman. She's gone." Eye patch said.

"That was close, huh Inari?"

"Huh, who's that?" Eye patched asked. They looked over their shoulders and saw someone dressed in black and orange placing the woman down and holding the boy.

"Well heroes usually show up at the last minute."

Inari's eyes widened at the voice. He looked up and saw Kagome as she helped put him down.

"Kagome?" Inari asked.

"Who else?" Kagome asked with a grin. "Good job, Inari. Thanks to your distraction, I was able to save your mom."

"It's one of those puny ninja brats that Tazuna hired." Eye patch said as he scratched his chest.

"Get her." Silver ordered.

"Yeah!" Eye patch said as he and Eye patch unsheathed their swords as they ran towards Kagome, Inari, and Tsunami.

"Didn't anyone tell you that you should treat a woman with respect?" Kagome said as she took out two shuriken.

Then she threw the shuriken, but the two men easily deflected them.

"Try something else!" Silver hair yelled. Kagome stood up and turned to them.

"I did." Kagome smiled and Kirara mewed.

"I want her! She's mine!" Eye patch shouted. Suddenly, the two men were punch from behind and fell unconscious when they fell onto the deck. The two Kagomes disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Y-You did it!" Inari said when he looked at Kagome, amazed. Kagome laughed.

"Yeah, believe it!" Kagome said with a closed eye grin and held her fist out.

"Huh?" Inari asked, confused. He soon laughed as well.

"That was so excellent! Like a real ninja!" Inari grinned.

"Hey I am a real ninja!" Kagome said. Then the two laughed for a moment or two.

* * *

"You've made a mistake of insulting us ninjas." Kakashi said, "Sasuke is one of Konoha's strongest fighters, Sakura has the sharpest mind, and last but not least, Kagome Uzumaki, one of the strongest member on our team!"

* * *

Kagome had just finished up tying up and gagged the two swordsmen. She couldn't really leave them with their swords around. Suddenly, she sneezed.

"They say when you sneeze is because someone is talking about you somewhere." Inari explained. Kirara tilted her head in confusion.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Kagome asked. "By the way, sorry about yesterday."

"Huh?" Inari asked. Then he remembered when Kagome stated that she had suffered as well as him. "It should be apologizing to you, Kagome."

"Huh?" Kagome asked.

"I just instantly presumed that you knew nothing about suffering. But Kakashi told me about you not having parents-" He was interrupted when Kagome placed her hand on his head.

"You're brave, Inari." Kagome stated as she gently ruffled his hair. Unexpectedly, Inari started to cry. Kagome removed her hand from his head.

"Darn it! I...I promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore!" Inari bawled as more tears fell down while trying to wipe them away. Kagome's eyes softly at the little boy in front of her. She knew that Inari had put up a wall after his father's death. But he was feeling vulnerable right now after he nearly lost his mother. Kagome knelt down and pulled Inari into her arms. His eyes widened at Kagome's sudden action.

"Ya' know, someone once said, 'A strong person is not the one who doesn't cry. A strong person is the one who cries and shed tears for a moment, then gets up and fights again'." Kagome said. "You proved that, Inari. Don't ever think it's wrong to shed tears even when you're happy."

She pulled away and gently held his shoulders. "Okay?"

Inari stared at Kagome and wiped the last of his tears and nodded.

"Okay." Inari stated. Kagome stood up.

"I have to go now. My teammates need me." Kagome informed. "Can I count on you to look after your mom?"

"Hai!" Inari said, smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile:

Sasuke was trapped in the ice mirrors that the tracker-nin who introduced himself as Haku had set up. Kakashi rushed towards the dome of ice mirrors to help Sasuke, but then Zabuza appeared in front of him.

"If you enter this fight, you fight me." Zabuza said. "Your boy has no chance against that jutsu. He's finished."

Kakashi cursed. He couldn't help Sasuke at all.

* * *

"Now, we'll begin," Haku said. "And I'll show you what speed really is." Then he began throwing senbons in every direction. Unfortunately Sasuke was unable to dodge any of them since they came from different directions. He could feel each one going past one of his limbs or hit near a vital spot.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi yelled. One of the needles knocked Sasuke's kunai out of his hand. He had to kneel to the ground as his legs started to go numb. Sakura quickly took out the kunai that was stuck near her foot and ran towards the ice dome. Then she jumped up and threw the kunai.

"Take this!" Sakura shouted. But Haku grabbed the kunai before it could reach past him.

"He caught it!" Sakura gasped. Suddenly, something went past Haku and hit him in the face which caused him to fall out of the mirror.

"What?" Zabuza questioned.

Unexpectedly, a three pronged kunai nearly hit Tazuna's left foot. Soon two Kagomes dropped into the ice dome and one grabbed Sasuke around the waist. The two disappeared from the dome while Kagome stayed inside of it. Then the other Kagome and Sasuke appeared next to Tazuna.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said as she ran over and knelt beside Kagome and Sasuke. He panted heavily as Kagome took out the needles from his body.

"You okay?" Kagome asked.

"I think so." Sasuke said as Kagome's hands glowed pink and place her left hand on his shoulder.

"Well, it's good to see you again Kagome." Zabuza said. "I was starting to get bored."

"I've never liked guys like you, Zabuza." Kagome said from the ice dome.

"Oh, do tell why." Zabuza taunted.

"You kill people for your own sick, twisted entertainment." Kagome spat.

"Haku." Zabuza said.

"Hai." Haku said. Then he went back into the mirrors. "Let's begin."

* * *

 _Being brave means to know something is scary, difficult, and dangerous, and doing it anyway, because the possibility of winning the fight is worth the chance of losing it._

~ Emilie Autumn


	13. Battling Demons

Chapter 13: Battling Demons

"Let's begin." Haku stated. The mirrors began to glow. Kagome knew that wasn't a good sign. She quickly summoned a barrier around herself as a rain of senbons attacked her from all around. She had to keep the barrier up for a while. But how long will this attack last?

"Interesting." Zabuza commented when he saw Kagome was in her barrier.

' _The barrier from before_.' Kakashi thought when he remembered the barrier that Kagome had used when the demon brothers attacked. He also remembered when the Sandaime told him that Kagome was the reincarnation of a powerful miko. He was surprised that Kagome was able to purify anything without hurting the Kyuubi sealed inside of her. It didn't make any sense to him.

' _Unless Kagome and the Kyūbi are able to work together._ ' Kakashi thought. That would make sense.

"How about you focus on our battle, Kakashi?" Zabuza taunted.

Kakashi got into his fighting stance as he turned his gaze at Zabuza. He couldn't help Kagome now. She was on her own in her fight against Haku. He could only hope that she'll get out of it alive.

* * *

"How long are you going to keep your barrier up, little girl?" Haku questioned.

"For as long as I can." Kagome answered. She had to think of something else as she was caged in these mirrors. She knew that water or wind would have no effect since the ice was made from the two elements. The only ones she really had were fire, earth, and lightning. But fire wouldn't do much good for her. Lava would work if only she could master one though. She should have asked Asuma about it. She soon noticed that her barrier was starting to flicker. Once it was fully gone, Kagome was panting.

"You're wide open now." Haku said. Kagome quickly summoned her fighting staff. Then Haku threw the senbons in all different directions. Kagome spun her metal staff around, trying to deflect all of the senbons coming towards her. Suddenly, two senbons hit her hands, making her drop her staff. The senbon stopped as Kagome knelt down on one knee as she panted heavily.

"I'm surprised that you're still able to stand." Haku stated.

"Thanks. Let's just say that I have motivation." Kagome grinned as she slowly stood up and took the two senbon off her hand. "My dream is to become the first female Hokage that everyone in my village will acknowledge and start treating me like a somebody!"

"Motivation. Huh?" Haku questioned. Unexpectedly, Kagome leaped into the air and grabbed six kunais that had paper bombs wrapped around them. Then she threw them towards the mirrors and grabbed three more kunai. She threw them at the other kunai and they bounced off each other, hitting each mirror that surrounded her. The mirrors shattered into pieces around her as she landed on the ground. She stood up and glanced at her surroundings as she panted. For some strange reason, she didn't sense Haku.

"Missed one."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock when she heard a voice behind her. Before she could turned around, she felt something pierced into her back. Then she fell to her knees and looked up. She spotted the mirror above her and saw her with Haku behind her.

' _Can't...believe...I missed...that.'_ Kagome thought as her head fell forward. She glanced at Sasuke, Kirara, Sakura, and Tazuna in the distance. Her eyes slowly closed and fell to the ground with a thud.

….

….

….

"KAGOME!" Sasuke screamed with wide eyes as he gazed at Kagome's fallen figure. Haku walked over Kagome's body and calmly walked over to Sasuke and the others.

"I told you. That girl wouldn't be able to escape Haku's jutsu." Zabuza confirmed. Kakashi's narrowed his eyes at Zabuza while Sasuke clenched his fists in anger as Haku walked towards them. Sakura and Tazuna's eyes widened with horror as they glanced at Kagome's motionless body.

"It was her mistake to enter my jutsu." Haku stated as he took out a few senbons. Sasuke stood in front of Sakura and Tazuna as he took a kunai out of its holster while glaring at Haku.

"No matter, your lives will end here." Zabuza said as he lifted his sword and bolted towards Kakashi as Haku bolted towards Sasuke.

* * *

Kagome heard a water drop echo around her. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar surrounding: The Kyūbi's Cage. She had been here numerous times as she grew up. Kyūbi was napping inside of the cage that had a sealing strapped to the front of it. Kagome stood up and walked over to the cage.

"Kurama." Kagome said. Kurama opened one of his eyes and looked at Kagome.

"Kagome," Kurara answered, "I haven't seen you here in awhile. Let me guess you've been busy?"

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way." Kagome stated.

"You were hit with a bunch of senbon needles, huh?" Kurama asked.

"Yes."

"And now you are unable to get up?"

"Yes."

"So you need my help?"

"Yes. I need a little bit of your chakra." Kagome inquired. Kurama closed both of his eyes and sighed.

"Fine." Kurama grunted.

A small stream of orange colored chakra flowed over to Kagome as she held her hand out to it. Then latched onto her hand and began to cover her body.

* * *

Kakashi continued to clash blades with Zabuza as Sasuke was clashing with Haku once more. Neither of them were gaining any advantages towards each other. Suddenly, Haku disappeared from Sasuke's sight and appeared behind Tazuna. Before his senbons could hit him, another blade blocked his attack. He gasped at the figure with the blade. It was Kagome. Her blonde bangs covered her eyes as she held her stance.

"Don't you dare hurt them." Kagome growled as she looked up at him with a glare.

"I see that you've survive my jutsu." Haku stated.

"Like I said before, I have motivation." Kagome grinned.

"Indeed." Haku agreed. Then the two began to fight once more in the mist where Sasuke and the others lost sight of her. Unexpectedly, Haku threw the senbons at Kagome's hand, making her drop her chakra blade. Quickly Kagome concentrated chakra to her feet, launched forward, and grabbed Haku's arm. Then she punched him right into the face which made him soar halfway across the bridge and rolled away on the ground. Kagome watched Haku as he slightly tumbled as he began to stand up. Soon a crack was heard and a part of Haku's mask fell to the ground followed by the other. She could see the kindness and emptiness in Haku's brown eyes. She wondered what caused him to follow a ruthless shinobi like Zabuza.

"Why?" Haku questioned.

"Huh?" Kagome asked.

"Why won't you kill me?" Haku added. Kagome clenched her fists and glared at the emotionless Haku. She ran towards him and punched him in the face. Haku staggered for a moment before gaining his footing and gazed back at Kagome. She soon noticed that a stream blood fell from his mouth.

"No, that won't do. If that's all the strength you put into it, you'll never be able to defeat your enemies. To show mercy to those oppose the one you serve, to allow his enemies to live, when you can strike them down is not compassion. It is a betrayal of your life's purpose. For what reason do you exist then? You're of use to no one. Your life has no meaning. Day after day of pain and struggle, signifying nothing." Haku explained.

"Why do you follow a man like Zabuza? A man who has no honor and finds entertainment by torturing and killing others? What makes him so special to you?!" Kagome yelled. Haku simply stared at Kagome.

"A long time ago, I had other people special to me. They were... my parents. I was born in the Land of Water, in a small village heavy with snow. My loving parents worked on a small farm, we were very poor, but my parents seem to be satisfied with it. I was happy then...But… something happened." Haku paused.

"What happened?" Kagome asked. Then Haku wiped the blood off his lip and stared at it.

"My blood..." Haku mumbled, not moving his sight away from his blood.

"What happened, Haku?" Kagome asked, "What do you mean 'my blood'?"

"It was my father. He killed my mother and almost killed me. After years of suffering and the horrors of civil war, the people of the Land of Water had come to fear and hate anyone who carried a kekkei genkai in their blood. Because of these abilities, the clans were used as mercenaries. They fought in many battles and were feared, but when the wars were over; they were despised and shunned by the people who feared their presence would only bring more war and misfortune. So it was after the wars that the clans went in hiding and denied the bloodline traits ever flowing in their veins. Concealing their unique abilities and knowing that being discovered would lead to a certain death. I'm sure that boy went through so much suffering as well. I'm sure you experienced it too. The cruelty of people and their fear of things they don't understand. "The greater your power, the more you were feared. My mother had the Kekkei Genkai. She kept it secret from my father. She hoped that for a while... No, she must have thought that they could have a simple life forever. However, my father had seen me use the kekkei genkai I inherited. He knew of the secret behind my mother and my blood. He gathered a mob and killed my mother and then the mob went after me. I ended up killing them all." Haku paused.

"When at last I was myself again, I was no longer myself. My father and mother were gone, but I knew that something else had been taken from, something far more important. And that is when I discovered despair." Haku continued.

"What was more important than your mother and father?" Kagome inquired. To Kagome's point of view, her family of friends were very important to her and that would never change no matter what. Inuyasha, however, was no longer in her family of friends.

"My purpose. There was no one that needed me. I was unnecessary." Haku paused. "Why is it that you are so determined to become Hokage? Because you want all eyes on you and to be recognized as a great ninja. You see that it is only in the eyes of others that our little lives have any significance. When there is no one who sees you or even look at you, it's like you don't even exist. Then Zabuza came and looked at me. His eyes were not full of hate or fear. He did not shun me for my strangeness. Indeed, my powers were what he wanted. He made me necessary again. I was happy . . ." Haku smiled as he looked down at his feet. "I have failed you, Zabuza. I am a broken weapon and of no longer any use." But then he looked up at Kagome with dull and blank brown eyes, "Kagome...kill me."

"No." Kagome confirmed.

"What?" Haku questioned.

"You're a 'weapon'? Just a tool for him? How can you call him special to you? Are you really okay with that?" Kagome retorted.

"Is that wrong?" Haku asked.

"What?" Kagome asked, taken back at the question.

"Tell me, what is wrong with that?" Haku asked her. Kagome couldn't answer his question. "Zabuza counts on me, even if I'm worthless. He made me feel needed. But now, I've lost my usefulness that affirmed my existence. Zabuza no longer needs me. That's why, I am now appealing to you, Kagome. Please, make it quick."

Kagome gritted her teeth at that moment. She couldn't find it in her heart to kill Haku. Even though she was so used to killing demons in the feudal era, but a human was a different story. She could sense the kindness in Haku's aura along with his darkness in his heart as well. But...this is what Haku wanted. Kagome raised her blade and launched towards Haku. Suddenly Haku grabbed her wrist, stopping her attack.

"W-What?" Kagome questioned with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. But there's something that I still have to do." Haku said before he shunshined away from her. Kagome turned left and right, trying to spot him.

"Where did he go?" Kagome asked. Then she closed her eyes and concentrated on Haku's chakra. But she felt Kakashi's chakra spiked instead. "Is he using a ninjutsu?"

Kagome quickly ran towards where she sensed his aura. When she got there, she came across a horrifying sight. Kakashi's fist was impaled into Haku's chest and Haku was right in front of Zabuza. Both jounin were shocked at what had just happened.

Haku took the hit that was meant for Zabuza.

* * *

 _You simply have to accept that your demons are a part of you. -_ Aurora


	14. Tears in the Snow

Chapter 14: Tears in the Snow

Kagome stood frozen at the sight. She couldn't believe it. Haku had sacrificed himself for Zabuza. The one person who took him in when no one else would. Suddenly Zabuza began to laugh.

"I guess you were wrong, Kakashi." Zabuza said, smirking underneath his bandages, "Well done, Haku."

"This boy sacrificed his life for your pathetic one." Kakashi said, narrowing his uncovered eye at Zabuza. Unexpectedly, Zabuza lifted up his Kubikiribōchō and was ready to strike Kakashi, who hand was still latched onto by Haku. His uncovered eye widened at the sudden attack.

" **Kakashi-sensei!** " Kagome and Sakura shouted. Kakashi quickly grabbed Haku and jumped out of the way of the attack. He glanced to the side and saw that Kagome and Sasuke were about to head towards him.

"Stay out of this!" Kakashi commanded them. The two genin stopped in their tracks as they watched Kakashi carefully lay Haku down. He placed his hand over Haku's eyes and slowly shut them. Kakashi stood up and glared at Zabuza with disgust in his eyes.

"Let's finish this." Kakashi said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Zabuza said as he lift his blade in front of him. Kakashi took out his kunai and went straight towards Zabuza. Kagome wished that she could help her sensei, but he had told them to stay out of it.

The two shinobi clashed with both their blades: kunai vs. giant sword. It was quite hard to tell which would win the fight. But to Kagome's point of view, Kakashi seemed to winning. The reason would be because Zabuza has the heavier weapon which took a lot more strength to lift. Meaning that Zabuza had somewhat slower reflexes. Zabuza swung his blade down once more. Kakashi disappeared from his view, denting a crater into the ground. Zabuza's eyes widened when he felt something pressing against the back of his neck. Kakashi was behind him, holding Zabuza's neck in a vice grip with his fingers.

"Look at yourself...falling apart. I knew you wouldn't be able to handle the long haul. You don't know what the true meaning of strength is." Kakashi scolded Zabuza with fury and disappointment in his voice. Suddenly, Kakashi stabbed two kunai knives into Zabuza's arms, rendering them useless. Then Kakashi took out two more kunai out of his bag and started twirling them.

"You lose." Kakashi declared as he brought down his two kunais. Then Zabuza twisted his body around and swung his blade. But Kakashi was able to stab the two kunai into Zabuza's other arm before he was able to dodge the upcoming swing. Zabuza's blade fell from his grip and skid a few feet away from his reach.

"What will you do now, Zabuza? Both of your arms are useless, so you can't even make hand signs." Kakashi taunted.

Then they heard the sound of someone tapping a cane on the sidelines. Everyone looked towards the direction of where the newcomer is: Gatō. He had puffy brown hair. He wore a small pair of black sunglasses and a business suit with a yellow shirt underneath and a purple tie. He had a bandaged left arm with a cane in his right. A hundred other rebels and thieves were behind him.

"He did quite a job on you, Zabuza. You look like yesterday's sashimi." Gatō ridiculed in a humorous tone.

"What is this about, Gatō? Who the hell are they?" Zabuza asked, narrowing his brown eyes at Gatō who was smirking as the men behind him were snickering. Gatō chuckled.

"There's been a slight change in plans, Zabuza. According to the new plan, you're going to die right here on this bridge." Gatō smirked.

"What?!" Zabuza exclaimed, eyes widened.

"You're too expensive to hire. So I'm cutting off our deal. These thugs here are worth more something than you, Zabuza." Gatō chuckled again.

"Just look at you, Zabuza, _Demon of the Mist_. You look as demonic as a wet kitten." Gatō bellowed, which brought a roar of laughter and taunting jeers in Zabuza's direction.

"And here I thought one rogue ninja was bad enough." Kagome confirmed with clenched fists.

"Yeah." Sakura agreed.

"Well, Kakashi, it looks like our fight is over. Tazuna is safe now since I'm no longer under Gatō's services." Zabuza stated as his shoulders slightly slumped in defeat.

"It would seem so." Kakashi acknowledged and glanced at Gatō who walking towards them. He eyed Gatō's bandaged arm, wondering how it got like that in the first place. Gatō walked up to Haku's lifeless body. He narrowed his eyes behind his shades.

"You little brat, you nearly broke my arm from before!" Gatō yelled. Then he smirked, "I've been meaning to repay you for that."

Then he placed his foot over Haku's face and kick it, _hard_. Everyone's eyes widened, except Zabuza, at how Gatō treated Haku's lifeless body.

"I only wish he was alive to have felt that." Gatō said, disappointed, as he poked Haku with his cane.

"GET AWAY FROM HAKU, YOU BASTARD!" Kagome shouted as she ran towards Gatō.

"Kagome, stop it!" Kakashi said as he grabbed Kagome around her waist. A few seconds later, Kagome stopped her struggling and glared at Zabuza.

"Are you just going to stand there and let Gatō treat Haku like that?" Kagome yelled.

"What does it matter? Haku is dead." Zabuza said, harshly. Kagome clenched her fists in anger.

"You mean to tell us that he meant nothing to you? After everything you've been through?" Kagome questioned with anger in her voice.

"You don't know the way of the shinobi, kid. I merely used him. Just like Gatō used me…" Zabuza responded in a monotone voice.

"Is that what you thought of Haku? A _weapon_ to be used?" Kagome inquired with venom in her voice. However, Zabuza was unresponsive at that moment. Kagome narrowed her sapphire blue eyes at the Demon of the Mist with hatred.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!" Kagome growled, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAKU HAS DONE FOR YOU! _YOU_ , OF ALL PEOPLE HE THREW HIS ENTIRE LIFE FOR YOU!"

Then she recalled what Haku had said to her after she defeated him in their battle. He was smiling the entire time when he talked about his time with Zabuza.

 _Zabuza...he is the only reason why I fight._

"He sacrificed everything for you...his own dreams, his life, _everything_ he could have...for you." Kagome explained, "He stood by your side for all these years...just for you."

 _But_ _Zabuza saw me differently. A weapon. Something of use to him. It gave me a purpose to live...he gave me that reason…_

"You've never cared about his feelings, did you?" Kagome implored as tears gathered in her eyes, "That didn't matter to him...because he was happy….he was happy… because of you…"

 _For the first time in a long time, I was happy. He made me very happy. That is why I live to fulfill his dreams. I was willing to do anything to make him happy, even if it meant becoming a ninja._

"YOU HAVE NEVER EVEN CARED ABOUT HIS OWN FEELINGS?! YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN GATO!" Kagome barked. Once she stopped yelling, she started panting. It surprised her that she had let all of that anger out at Zabuza and Gatō.

"To use people like that and...just...throw them away...that's too...too cruel." Kagome said with her head down as tears went down her cheeks. Silence soon entered around the area of the bridge.

"You talk too much, girl." Zabuza said, breaking the silence. Kagome looked up at Zabuza and spotted water drops near his feet. When he looked up at the sky, Kagome's eyes widened at what she saw: tears were running down the side of his cheeks. "Your words cut deep, deeper than any blade." Zabuza said, quietly, as his tears poured from his brown eyes. Then he stared at the ground where his tears had splattered onto. He remembered the first time when he met Haku on the bridge. It was snowing at that time when he spotted a young boy who had spots of dirt on him and his ragged clothes. His eyes is what intrigued Zabuza, they were empty and blank like he had lost everything important to him, but also had kindness in them which was strange to him.

"Haku was always so kind and gentle...but he felt pain...sorrow." He said as he glanced at Haku's dead body. He almost looked like he was sleeping, but he will never wake up again.

"Now, curse him for making me feel these emotions as well!" His voice sounded angry with much remorse in it. Kagome gazed at Zabuza. She sensed the rage and sorrow in his aura that resided inside of him.

"I feel contempt that this is the way it ends…" Zabuza admitted before he began to tear off his bandages over his mouth with his teeth. Gatō and the three genin's eyes widened when they saw his face: he was human but with pointy teeth that looked similar to a shark. Zabuza smirked at the three genins behind him.

"What? Cat gotcha tongue? You're surprised to find out that I'm human? Some of us try to hide that fact, no matter how hard." Zabuza confessed, "Or at least, _I_ failed to." Then his smirk disappeared and he turned to Gatō.

"Girl." Zabuza called out, Kagome shot her head up at the authority in his tone. "Throw me your kunai."

Kagome was confused at that moment. She knew that Zabuza won't be able to lift anything or make hand signs without his arms. She didn't know what he was planning, but she did as he asked.

"Here." She said as she threw the kunai to Zabuza. As it was being thrown to him, Zabuza had quick flashbacks of Haku and him; the time when they first met, his smile, and standing by his side. He remembered his smile out of all of them. Then he caught the kunai between his teeth and went straight towards Gatō like a bullet. Gatō panicked, turned around and ran towards the crowd of men behind him.

"KILL HIM! NOW!" Gatō ordered as he went through the crowd.

The thugs readied their weapons as Zabuza charged right towards them. They thought he was insane, trying to take on them all at once. They knew that he wouldn't survive. However, Zabuza proved them wrong when he cut a few down with the kunai in his mouth until one of the men stabbed his spears into his back. He stopped for a few seconds. But that didn't stop him until he spotted Gatō in his line of vision.

"If you're so desperate to go where your friend is, go by yourself!" Gatō mocked, glad that he was still alive. He smirked as the men stab their spears into Zabuza's back. But Zabuza was still standing and went straight towards him. Then he felt the kunai pierced his chest. He could feel his blood slowly starting to leak from his wound.

"Unfortunately, I don't intend to go where Haku is. I'm taking you to Hell with me! I hear that there are demons that come in all shapes and sizes!" Zabuza foretold as Gatō began to shiver with fear, "Oh, I should fit right in, but you won't survive for long!" Zabuza grabbed the kunai that was still impaled on Gatō's chest and started slashing him all over. The last slash sent Gatō over the bridge and into the water below. Zabuza dropped the kunai from his mouth and let it clatter onto the ground with a cling and thud. Then he turned and staggered towards the crowd. The men quickly made a path for him. Zabuza saw Haku when the last man moved to the side. He pushed himself harder to get to Haku's side. Suddenly, his legs went out and collapsed to his knees.

"Haku...Haku...would you forgive me? For everything?" Zabuza asked before he fell forward to the ground. Everyone was silent at what had just happened. Despite of his arms being immobilized, Zabuza went into a crowd of thugs that had weapons in order to kill Gatō. Team 7 and Tazuna couldn't believe that someone would do something that crazy.

"Hey, hey, hey!" The leader of the thugs shouted, breaking the silence, "Did you forget about us?! Because of you ninjas, you killed our pay source! We'll go into the village and take everything!" He turned to his men, "Let's go men!" The men shouted and charged towards team 7 and Tazuna. But they stood where they were. They weren't going to let these men hurt any of the villagers. The genin team went into a fighting stance. Suddenly, an arrow landed in front of the crowd who quickly stopped at it. The genin team and Tazuna looked behind them. They were shocked when they saw Inari who was holding a crossbow with the villagers with pitchforks and shovels behind him.

"There's one thing that you're forgetting. If you want to step into our village, you'll have to go through all of us first!" One of the village men shouted. Then all the villagers roared.

 _The villagers! They all came!_ Tazuna thought as he saw the villagers raise their weapons.

"INARI!" Kagome called out, smiling.

"Well they say that heroes show up at the last minute!" Inari grinned. Kagome smiled at that moment. She knew that Inari had courage inside of him. It was just a matter of time of when it would be needed. She turned and saw that the crowd of thugs looked frightened. Then she held a hand sign.

' _There's no way I'm missing out on this!_ ' Kagome thought with a mischievous smile.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Kagome and produced five clones of herself.

"I might have some chakra left to help you out." Kakashi said, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Twenty Kakashi clones appeared on the bridge. The crowd of thugs were starting to get very afraid.

" **Well? Still wanna fight?** " Kakashi and Kagome asked at the same time.

"No thanks!" One of the thugs yelled before they turned and ran towards the boat. Then they sailed away and the whole villagers cheered. The ninjas cheered and smiled as well. Tazuna cried tears of joy as he held Inari in his arms. He was proud of his grandson. Then Kakashi walked over to Zabuza and stood next to him.

"Is it...over?" Zabuza weakly asked, looking up at Kakashi.

"Hai, it's over." Kakashi said.

"Could you do me a favor?" Zabuza pleaded, "I want to see Haku...one last time."

Kakashi closed his eyes and moved his headband to cover his Sharingan eye. He opened his eyes and looked at Zabuza.

"Of course." Kakashi said. The genin watched as Kakashi knelt down and started to take out all of the spears and knives off of Zabuza's back. Then he carried him over to Haku. As he carried him, snowflakes began to fall.

"Snow?" Kagome asked, gazing up at the snow.

"At this time of year?" Tazuna asked while looking up at the sky. Kakashi carefully placed Zabuza next to Haku.

"Thank you, Kakashi." Zabuza said. Kakashi nodded and kindly stepped away. Zabuza looked up at the sky.

' _Is it you, Haku? Are you weeping?_ ' He turned his head to the side, looking at Haku. He remembered of when he and Haku would always travel, side by side, even hand in hand. Haku smiling while Zabuza watched over him. ' _For so long, you were always by my side...the least I can do is stay by your side till the end_.' Zabuza shakily raised his arm, despite how painful it was to move it, and placed it on Haku's once warm cheek. At that moment, some of the clouds parted, making the sun shine on the two shinobi.

"I know it… cannot be… But I wish I could go where you've gone…" Zabuza confessed in a sorrowful tone before he closed his eyes. Kagome clenched her hand on Kakashi's sleeve with her eyes closed as tears fell down her cheeks. She knew that Zabuza cared a lot about Haku, he just didn't show it is all. They were able to defeat Gatō, however the price of it were two shinobi that were once his employers attack him after his betrayal. They were dishonorable at first, but they fought hard in the end. The genin team gazed at the two shinobi with grief in their eyes.

"...Haku said… he was born in a village where it snowed… all the time." Kagome croaked.

"Is that a fact? He was pure white like the snow. You can go with him, Zabuza…together." Kakashi consented as the sun shined down on them and the snow continued to fall.

* * *

After a few days of resting, Team 7 decided to bury Zabuza and Haku. It was the least that they could do for them. Even though they were enemies at first, Kagome and others believed that they should have a proper burial.

"Is that really it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned as she knelt by the graves, gazing at Zabuza and Haku's graves which both had a wreath of flowers on them.

"Hm?" Kakashi asked.

"Is that the ninja way? To use and be used by people like tools?" Sakura insisted, looked over her shoulder. Kakashi sighed.

"Shinobi are all merely tools in the hands of destiny. No point of wondering whether it's right or wrong but just is. It's the same in Konohagakure." Kakashi explained as Sakura stood up and walked towards Kakashi.

"Well if you ask me, if that's what being a shinobi is all about, then something is out of whack." Kagome retorted and turned away from the graves. "Is that why we go through all this training? Just to end up like _them_?"

"What is the reason for that?" Sasuke implored, turning to Kakashi who was staring at the sunset. He sighed again and looked at the ground.

"Well it's a question without an answer and that is something we, shinobi, have to deal with everyday of our lives." Kakashi paused. "Like Zabuza and the kid."

Kagome closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She always questioned why she had to be Midoriko's reincarnation and not Kikyo. Also why the Kami wanted her to become a jinchūriki. But she had to answer those questions herself. Now that she's in the world of shinobi, she knew that she had to fight in order to survive. But it wasn't just that. It was way more. Kirara mewed which broke Kagome out of her thoughts. She turned to the kitten and smiled as she pet her. Then she looked up at the sunset.

"Okay!" Kagome exclaimed.

" **Hm?** " Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura asked.

"I've just got to an important decision. From now on, I'm finding my own 'ninja way'. A way that's straight and true and without any regrets! From now on I'm following the way of Kagome Uzumaki!" Kagome announced with a smile.

Kakashi's uncovered eye widened when he heard Kagome's words. He knew from the start that Kagome would find her own way of becoming strong. He knew it since she spoke of her goal on becoming Hokage. He let out a small chuckle.

' _You will become something great, Kagome. I know it_.' Kakashi thought.

* * *

A few days later, the bridge was finally finished. Team 7 waited at the exit of the now finished bridge with the rest of the village.

"Thank you for helping us. It's because of you all that we were able to finish the bridge." Tazuna said to Team 7.

"I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you all." Tazuna admitted with a sad smile. Tsunami nodded.

"You all be careful on your way back." Tsunami said with a closed eye smile.

"Don't worry, we will." Kagome smiled back. Kirara mewed happily in agreement. Kakashi smiled underneath his mask.

"Don't get all choked up, we'll see each other before you know it!" Kagome grinned, looking at Inari who sniffled as he tried to hold back his tears. Throughout the whole ideal, Kagome and Inari grew a bond with each other and they became like siblings.

"You promise?" Inari sobbed, his voice was wavering a bit. Kagome felt like her eyes started to water.

"Of course we will! Y-You know...you can cry if you want. There's nothing wrong with it." Kagome declared in a quivering voice. Tazuna placed his hand on Inari's head. Inari sniffled again and said, "Maybe I don't want to! Why don't you cry first if you say it's alright?"

"No, you first!" Kagome shouted, her voice cracking slightly. They had a small staring contest to see who would cry first with their sniffling and their eyes building with tears. Then they both spun away from each other as tears fell from both of their eyes.

' _They're so stupid_.' Sakura deadpanned. Kagome turned around and hugged Inari who also returned the hug.

"Good-bye, Inari." Kagome said.

"Good-bye, Kagome-chan." Inari said. Then the two let go of each other. The team began their walk to the other side of the bridge. The villagers watched the team head back to their home.

"It was all her doing. That girl made you stronger, Inari, and you in turn made the rest of us stronger. It was thanks to that girl. We were able to build a bridge to a place we've never known." Tazuna said, "A place where we found our courage. A place to fulfill our dreams."

"Say, speaking of the bridge, now that it's finished, shouldn't we name it?" A villager asked.

"Yes, of course." Tazuna laughed, "And I know just the name."

"You do? What?" Another villager asked.

"We'll call it "The Great Kagome Bridge"." Tazuna declared. Tsunami chuckled into her fist.

"That's a very good name." Tsunami agreed, smiling.

* * *

"Can't wait til we get back to the village. I'm gonna tell Konohamaru all about the mission." Kagome chuckled, "He'll be even more excited into becoming a shinobi!"

"Hey Sasuke-kun, when we get back, do you want to do something together?" Sakura asked, looking past Kagome.

"I don't think so, thanks." Sasuke declared, without glancing at her, in a flat tone.

"Oh, okay." Sakura muttered with her head slumped down. Kagome patted her on the shoulder as she walked passed.

"Well, you tried." Kagome stated, "But I can't guarantee he'll ever say 'yes'."

"Why you-" Sakura started.

"Let's just get home without fighting, okay?" Kakashi suggested.

" **Fine**." Kagome and Sakura grunted.

* * *

 _There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love._

\- Washington Irving


	15. A Familiar Friend

Chapter 15: A Familiar Friend

Team 7 were on their way back to their home village, Konoha. Truth be told, they were glad to be going home. They all felt like they had learned something from this. Kagome couldn't wait to get home. She had a lot of things to tell Shikamaru. Even though he may not show that he's not interested to what she's talking about, but she knew that he was by his aura.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

The sudden cry stopped them in their tracks.

"Kirara, follow the scent!" Kagome ordered. Kirara nodded her head and sniffed the air. She jumped off Kagome's shoulder and went into the bushes. Team 7 followed after her. When they got to the source of the cry, they were surprised to see a young man in a tree with a small pack of wolves at the bottom. The young man had black hair with thick bangs tied in a small ponytail on the back of his neck, dark purple eyes, and wore golden earrings on the sides of his ears. He wore purple monk clothes. There was some tall object wrapped in a bundle on his back. He clutching onto the tree while sitting on the branch.

"P-Please! Somebody help meeeee!" The man shouted with tears in the corner of his eyes. Then he looked down at the wolves who were growling at him. "T-Trust me I won't taste good at all! B-B-Believe m-me!"

"Kirara." Kagome whispered. Kirara nodded and jumped off Kagome's shoulder. She headed towards the wolves. They turned to her and began to approach. Then she was surrounded in flames. When they died out, she was in her large form and roared, which caused the wolves to turn and run. Team 7 walked up to the tree and saw the man sigh in relief.

"Thank you so much for getting rid of them." The man said.

"It's no problem." Kagome said.

"But I have one more thing that I need help with." The man said.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Could you... help me get down?" The man asked nervously. Team 7 sweatdropped at this.

Kakashi helped the young man down from the tree and he sighed in relief once more. Kagome studied the young man as he stood in front of them. Kagome recognized him as Miroku, but the strange thing was that she didn't sense Miroku's aura in front of her. It was someone else's.

"My name is Miroku and I can't thank you enough for saving my life." 'Miroku' introduced.

"You're welcome, Miroku. It was a good thing that we were nearby." Kagome said, smiling. "By the way, I'm Kagome."

"I'm Sakura."

"Kakashi."

"And this is Sasuke."

"Hn."

"Pleasure to meet you all." Miroku said.

"How did you get caught up with those wolves?" Sakura asked. Miroku rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"I was simply walking down the road and I got a little bit hungry. So I sat down near the trees and began eating my rice balls. Suddenly, a wolf appeared and then another. I quickly got up and ran. More wolves joined the others. I climbed up into the tree and stayed up there until they would go away. But they didn't give up." Miroku explained. "If it weren't for you all, I would have been dead meat. _Literally_."

"Well Kirara did most of the scaring." Kagome stated, gazing at Kirara who gave a happy growl.

"By the way, how did you get so big so fast, Kirara?" Sakura asked, pointing at Kirara. She didn't answer and her body was encased in flames, which shocked them except Kagome. After the flames died down, she was in her small form again and ran over to Kagome to sit on her shoulder.

"Anyways, what are doing in these parts, Miroku?" Kakashi asked.

"Not to be rude or anything, but it's kind of a secret." Miroku confessed.

"Really? We could help you." Sakura offered.

"I appreciate that you wish to help you, but this is something only I can do." Miroku confirmed. Kagome soon noticed a tail behind Miroku's back. It looked like a raccoon's.

"Please? We won't mind." Sakura begged. Kirara jumped off of Kagome's shoulder and walked over behind Miroku.

"I'm sorry but this is something that I have to do on my own." Miroku declared. Suddenly Miroku yelped and was covered in smoke. When the smoke disappeared, a familiar creature that Kagome easily recognized appeared: a tanuki. Not just any tanuki. It was Hachi the tanuki.

"So you're a tanuki?" Kagome asked.

"H-Hai, I am. I'm H-Hachi the tanuki." Hachi stuttered, playing with his fingers.

"A-A t-ta-tanuki?" Sakura stuttered.

"Interesting." Kakashi stated, rubbing his chin.

"Hn." Sasuke said.

"So what are you _really_ doing out here, Hachi?" Kagome asked.

"I'm actually looking for someone." Hachi answered.

"Who are you looking for?" Sakura asked.

"I'm looking for the reincarnation of a powerful priestess. I'm very determined to find her." Hachi replied. Silence filled the air between them.

"Um, Hachi, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…" Kakashi trailed off.

"There are no priestesses in this area." Sakura finished. Hachi comically stiffened.

"I-Is that true?" Hachi stuttered.

"I'm afraid so, Hachi." Sakura confirmed. Then Hachi sat down with depression lines on his temple and a cloud of gloom over him.

"Way to go, Haruno." Kagome stated. She walked to Hachi and knelt down in front of him. She gently patted his head.

"Don't give up, Hachi. I know you'll find her reincarnation." Kagome said. Hachi looked up at her with tears in the corner of his eyes. Suddenly his eyes sparkled.

"It's you." Hachi whispered.

"Huh?" Kagome blinked, confused.

"I found you!" Hachi yelled excitedly as he stood up.

"What do you mean, Hachi?" Kagome questioned.

"You're the reincarnation of the powerful priestess I've been looking for!" Hachi shouted.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked, uncertainty.

"I'm absolutely certain!" Hachi yelled with starry eyes, "She has the same scent and enormous amount of power! There's no denying it!"

"Scent?" Sasuke asked, brow arched.

"All yōkai have a keen sense of smell. Even when it comes to reincarnations, they can easily tell, not just by looks." Hachi explained.

"Just like a dog's?" Kakashi asked.

"Precisely." Hachi confirmed.

"By the way, what was the name of the powerful priestess?" Sakura asked.

"Kagome Higurashi." Hachi answered. Everyone besides Kagome blinked at the name "Kagome". Kakashi suddenly remembered why his sensei's wife chose that name.

"So you have the same name as the priestess, Kagome." Kakashi said.

"I guess." Kagome said, glancing at Kakashi.

"That's even better!" Hachi pointed out.

"But how are we going to differentiate the two?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe you could refer my past life as Lady Higurashi instead." Kagome suggested.

"That could work." Sasuke agreed.

"By the way, what's that object on your back, Hachi?" Kakashi asked, pointing to the bundle on his back.

"Oh, my former master, Miroku, wanted me to give this to Kagome's reincarnation." Hachi said as he took the bundle off his back and handed it to Kagome. She gently took the bundle and unwrapped the cloth. Her eyes widened at what the bundle contained: Miroku's staff!

"What is that?" Sakura questioned, gazing at the object.

"It's a monk staff, Haruno." Kagome answered.

"Where did you even get that?" Kakashi asked.

"It belonged to my master." Hachi mentioned.

"So your master was a monk?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yes, he showed kindness towards me when I was hungry while I was traveling on my own. I had been following him ever since." Hachi stated.

"You respected him as well, Hachi?" Kagome asked with a soft smile.

"Hai!" Hachi cheered.

"So what are you going to do now, Hachi?" Sakura asked.

"Huh?" Hachi blinked.

"You found the person you were looking for. So what now?" Sakura clarified. Hachi nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I don't know." Hachi admitted.

"You can stay with me." Kagome offered. Hachi's eyes brightened at her offer.

"Really?!" Hachi exclaimed.

"Of course. I think it would be rude to leave you out here all on your own." Kagome said.

"Kagome, you already know how the villagers view yōkai." Kakashi informed.

"I know that better than anyone, Kakashi-sensei. We could just say that Hachi's a lost summoning and has nowhere to go." Kagome explained.

"That could work." Kakashi said, rubbing his chin.

"Then that settles it. Hachi, you're coming home with me." Kagome smiled.

"Thank you!" Hachi happily yelled.

* * *

Team 7 and Hachi were on their way to Konohagakure. Kagome and Hachi were both glad to be reunited in this world. But Kagome was even more happier knowing that another one of her friends were still around. She wondered if her other friends were in this world somewhere.

"Hey Hachi." Sakura said, walking beside Hachi.

"Hai?" Hachi questioned, turned to Sakura.

"What kind of person was Lady Higurashi?" Sakura asked, curious about this woman.

"Lady Higurashi was a kind and gentle woman with a fiery temper and a lot of power." Hachi paused, "She treated all yōkai, hanyō, and humans with respect. She even adopted an orphaned kit and raised him as her own. She also gained the acknowledgement and respect of the powerful yōkai of the West."

"Wow, she accomplished a lot, huh?" Sakura asked, awed by how the young woman was able to do all that. She wondered how she was able to befriend yōkai, especially dangerous ones.

"But why would she adopt an abandoned kit? I thought that most yōkai were dangerous." Sasuke stated.

"True, but the young kit had just lost his father and had no one else to take care of him. Higurashi-sama felt sympathy for the little one and decided to care for him." Hachi explained.

"Are you that it was safe to trust him?" Kakashi asked. Hachi looked up at the sky and tapped his chin

"From what I've been told, the kit had stolen something from her. However, he was tricked by the ones who killed his father. Higurashi had forgiven him when he returned the object and she took him in." Hachi explained.

"Was she able to defeat the ones who killed the kit's father?" Sasuke asked.

"Hai, but she wasn't alone at the time. She had helped from Inuyasha, a inu hanyō." Hachi said.

"Hanyō?" Sakura asked.

"A hanyō is the offspring of a yōkai parent and a human parent." Kagome answered.

"Usually it's a yōkai father and a human mother." Hachi stated.

"Interesting." Kakashi commented, "Was Higurashi familiar with many hanyō?"

"Hai, many in fact." Hachi replied.

"Hn." Sasuke said.

"How did Higurashi die?" Sakura questioned. Hachi stopped in his steps.

"She was killed by Inuyasha, one of her comrades." Hachi responded in an angry tone.

Kagome could never forget that day when Inuyasha had betrayed her. She may have forgiven Kikyō. But she would _never_ forget. Especially Inuyasha's betrayal. She knew that memory would continue to haunt her.

"When the yōkai lords heard of his betrayal, they banished him from the lands and no one has seen or heard of him since." Hachi added.

* * *

 _To be with old friends is very warming and comforting._

~ Ian Ziering


	16. Catching Up

Chapter 16: Catching Up

Team 7 and Hachi had finally arrived at Konoha. Hachi was amazed by all of the people in the village. However, he didn't like the stares he was receiving as he and team 7 were walking towards the Hokage Tower. Most of them were curious and another were ones he wasn't familiar with. But he noticed a few glares that were directed at Kagome. Hachi was confused on why Kagome was being glared at. To his point of view, Kagome was a kind and strong girl who cared about her loved ones.

They soon entered the Hokage's office. Sarutobi and Iruka were curious at the tanuki who stood by Kagome. Their brows arched once they noticed him.

"So who is that?" Iruka pointed at Hachi who hid behind Kagome's legs. He felt really uncomfortable with the two men's stares.

"This is Hachi. He's a lost summon." Kagome explained as she placed her hand on his head. Hachi peaked from the side of her legs and gave a small wave of his paw.

"What happened to your previous summoner, Hachi?" Iruka asked.

"My summoner was killed along with my kind. Somehow I was the only survivor." Hachi added with his head down.

"Hm." Sarutobi said as he stroke his goatee.

"What were you planning to do with Hachi, Kagome-chan?" Iruka questioned.

"I was planning on letting Hachi stay with me. He has nowhere else to go." Kagome stated.

"You already have your ninnekos and ninkens summons, Kagome-chan. Those are two different summons. It's impossible to have three in fact." Sarutobi informed.

"Actually, they're one contract." Kagome said.

"Pardon?" Sarutobi asked, brow arched.

"My ninnekos and ninkins are one contract because they all get along equally. So it makes it easier to obtain a second contract." Kagome said.

"Interesting." Sarutobi commented.

"I've never heard of two species getting along with one another." Iruka added.

"Well...they were living in the same street corner." Kagome said, "So they had to get along somehow," Kagome said, "Anyway, I would like Hachi to stay with me. Even though Hachi has no fighting skill. But I think he might get along with all of my summons."

"I see," Sarutobi said, "Are you willingly to take care of him?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kagome said.

"Very well," Sarutobi agreed, "Hachi will remain in your care, Kagome."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Kagome bowed towards Sarutobi.

* * *

After the meeting with the Hokage, Kagome, Kirara, and Hachi were on their way to Kagome's apartment. It was silent as they walked towards their destination. As soon as Kagome closed the door to the apartment, she turned to Hachi with a soft smile on her face.

"It's been a while, hasn't Hachi?" Kagome asked.

"Indeed it has," Hachi said, "For a second I thought you didn't recognize me."

"I recognize you anywhere, Hachi." Kagome smiled.

"Well I glad that you did." Hachi returned the gesture.

"How about some tea?" Kagome asked.

"Tea would be great." Hachi said.

Kagome nodded her head and walked over to the cupboard and took out a package of tea and two cups. She placed the cups on the table and went over to the sink. She broke the package of tea and poured it the kettle. Then she put the water in and placed the kettle on the burner.

"So what happened after I died?" Kagome asked as Hachi sat down.

"As I said before, the demon lords banished Inuyasha… everyone else grieved heavily on your death. Shippo, Miroku, and Sango especially." Hachi explained.

"What about the others? Are they in this dimension as well?" Kagome asked as she took out a cat bowl and put cold water into it.

"I believe so. But I'm not entirely sure since I haven't seen anyone else when I first came here." Hachi replied.

"I see." Kagome stated, "How long have I been died in the other dimension, Hachi?"

"120 years to be precise." Hachi answered.

"What were Miroku and Sango's last words?" Kagome asked.

"They wanted all of us to find you and stay by your side." Hachi stated.

"Let's just hope they come soon." Kagome said as she placed the water bowl on the counter. Kirara jumped off her shoulder and began drinking. Then the kettle was boiling. Kagome turned the stove off and took the kettle off the burner. She began pouring the tea into Hachi's cup. Kagome went over to her seat and poured tea into her cup.

"So what happened after you were reborn?" Hachi asked.

"Well, I've been training as a kunoichi since I was little. I just finished my first mission outside of the village." Kagome replied.

"Sounds exciting. You always seemed to be the adventurous type of girl, Kagome-chan." Hachi said, taking a sip of the tea.

"Thank you, Hachi." Kagome said.

"But why do the villagers glare at you?" Hachi questioned. A silence moment entered the room. Kagome knew why the villagers hated her and it never left a good feeling inside of her when some wouldn't take a chance to get to know her.

"On the day I was born, a giant creature known as the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked the village. Half of the shinobi tried to keep it at bay. The only one who was able to defeat the creature was the Yondaime Hokage." Kagome began.

"Defeat? How was he able to defeat such a creature?" Hachi questioned.

"He sealed the creature inside of infant which cost him his life." Kagome finished.

"And that infant was you, right?" Hachi asked.

"Hai." Kagome answered, saddened.

"They shouldn't treat you like that, Kagome-chan."

"Hachi, the Kyūbi destroyed half of the village and killed a lot of people." Kagome reasoned, "To the villagers, I'm just a humanized version of the creature. One that they wouldn't mind trying to kill."

"Have they?" Hachi asked.

"They nearly did once. Luckily one of the ANBU guards stopped the mob before anything worse happened to me." Kagome replied, "They beat me up real bad once. If Iruka-sensei hadn't found me, then I probably would've ended up dead."

"I'm glad that he was able to help you." Hachi thanked as Kagome took a sip of her tea and put the cup back down.

"Well, he's like a father to me. Not to mention that Sandaime-sama is like a grandfather to me as well." Kagome smiled, "I've met a few others that I consider as friends."

"It's good to know that you have friends here, Kagome-chan. Everyone was worried that you didn't." Hachi said.

"I wasn't entirely alone." Kagome stated. Kirara mewed at that.

For the rest of the day, Kagome and Hachi talked about what else had happened while they were apart. What they didn't know was that there was someone coming to Konoha. Someone that they didn't expect to appear.


End file.
